Teaching Children To Pray And Other Keys To Righteousness
Posted by: Zacharias Allred in Parenting Articles, tags: Parenting ArticlesChildren can be taught to pray by incorporating other principals such as love and patience. As parents we have a responsibility to bring our children up in righteousness. Here are some ideas to help you.
Praying should be out loud. Your child may not readily understand what praying is. To help try replacing the word “pray” with the word “talk.” Encourage them to talk with God. It is said of men of old that they walked and talked with God.
Teaching your children love and patience is important when they are learning to pray. These two virtues when practiced keep our hearts soft and teachable. The prophet Samuel was able hear the still small voice of the Lord because his heart was teachable.
Understanding love is necessary when teaching your children to pray. Love gives us hope in the future and a feeling of security. When our children learn that the very nature of God is love they will want to be close to him.
Love is the most powerful force in the universe. When children are little they may not understand the word “love” but they certainly understand the emotion. You have been there for them from the beginning and you can share with them how God has been there for both of you from the beginning.
Teaching children patience is necessary when teaching children to pray because God does not always give an answer right away. Kids are growing up in a world where everything is provided for them immediately. From the time they are babies all they need to do is cry and their caregiver rushes to satisfy their needs. Unfortunately, this crying does not stop just because they learn to speak.
One of the best ways to teach patience is to share with your child times when you feel impatient and how you cope with that emotion. When you are driving, for example, you want to get to your destination quickly. Consider telling your children that you are going to be patient so you do not put lives in danger. Show that there are natural rewards.
When we teach our children to pray we also need to teach them about love and patience. God is love and will always answer our prayers. We must be patient though and be willing to wait for him to answer us.
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