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This is part 6 in a 12 part Series on D.I.S.C.I.P.L.E.S.H.I.P. - Twelve Tips to help you become a more effective discipler of children.

Prayer is one of those things we often talk about more than we actually do! Just to make sure we don’t do that right now, lets both STOP, RIGHT NOW, and pray before going forward. Go for it. Ask God to open your heart to how Prayer could transform and empower your discipling!

(Pssst! you should be praying right now!)

O.K., welcome back! Few Christians, if any, would argue the point that the most important thing we can do for our children is to pray for them… but does our action match our words? If you devotion to children and the cause of Christ were measured ONLY by your prayer life - what would the conclusion be? My goal is not to motivate by guilt, but to challenge you to evaluate how important prayer is in practise in your ministry to children.

When it comes to praying for our disciples - those kids who we are intentionally investing in spiritually - there are two important aspects to praying for them. Obviously, we ought to be praying FOR them, but we also should pray WITH them. Let’s look at both and why they are important.

PRAYING FOR YOUR STUDENTS.

While I could provide a long list of verses about prayer, let me focus on just one and make a few points.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Phil. 4:6

This concise verse contains some of the best teaching on prayer and it is very applicable to praying for the children we are ministering too.

1. “Do not be anxious.” There is a lot that can worry us about children in today’s world. The dangers to both the minds, bodies, and souls can be terrifying to us who love them. There is great spiritual warfare for their hearts and minds, and without spiritual power and intervenion, most kids will end up chooseing the “broad road” that leads to destruction. But here God tells us, the answer is not to be anxious, it is to pray! If we truly care about the children in our lives, we ought to be praying for them, and often! It is the single most powerful thing we can do to prevent the things that make us anxious for them. Make a list of the kids you care about, and prayer for them by name. Ask God to protect them, to challenge them, to draw them to Himself and to give them a curiousity for the Word of God and a hunger for righteousness. Pray for courage to withstand temptation and patience in the midst of trails. Pray that they would choose friends who draw them closer to God and not away. And prayer for their parents who have such a challenging God. A prayer for parents is a blessing to their children!
2. “By prayer and petition.” I’ve always found it facinating that in this verse God separates “prayer” and “petition.” To many people, prayer = petition. All they ever do when they pray is ask for stuff. God desires for us to make requests of Him, as a Father, he delights in giving good things to His children, but notice “petition” is mentioned secondary to “prayer” - which is simply communication and fellowship with God. Make sure that you are spending time getting to know the heart of God, not just asking Him for things you want - even good things. The first thing God wants is YOU!
3. “With Thanksgiving.” This is a powerful key to prayer! Too often we pray and “hope” God will answer. That isn’t faith. When we pray “with thanksgiving” we are asking in anticipation of what God will do. Are we manipulating God? Far from it! But we are demonstating faith that He will do that is best in the situation. When a child gives a list of Christmas Wishes to a parent, they don’t think for a second they won’t get something - or that they will be disappointed on that morning - but they don’t always get what they ask for. They DO get what Mom and Dad decide is best for them at that age, and probably what they can afford. The good thing with God is, He can afford anything! So ask with thanksgiving! You can even say in your prayer of petition, “God I thank you already for how you are going to answer this prayer because I know your love for this child is perfect and exceeds even what I can imagine. Thank you for loving me, for hearing me, and for answering my prayer!” No need to wait around and see “if” God answers - if you pray according to His Will - He WILL answer! So thank Him in advance!
4. “Present your requests to God.” We do need to actually present them to God! This may seem like pointing out the obvious. But I know as a father, there are many things I am willing to do with or for my son that I only do if he actually asks me. Part of it is that God doesn’t force Himself on us, but it is also that He wants to see what we would like to see Him do. If we don’t ask, we are likely not to notice or thank Him even if He does it. But when we ask, we’ll see it when it happens! I can’t help wondering what things I’ve missed out on in life from both my earthly and heavenly fathers simply because I didn’t bother to ask! So present your requests to God TODAY! What are you waiting for?

PRAYING WITH YOUR STUDENTS

It is also important to pray WITH your students, and I don’t mean just opening in prayer. Skip that if it is nothing but a formality! Don’t be flipant with God. Remember Who it is you are talking to! When you pray with your students, it helps teach them how to prayer. It humbles us as we acknowledge Who we are following. It shows we care as we pray for them. And you can rejoice together when God answers prayer.

A few tips:

• Ask your students for prayer requests. Your job is not just to teach them biblical knowledge, it is to transform them into a disciple of Jesus.
• WRITE THEM DOWN. Keep a journal, use a note card in your Bible, your PDA, something so that you are reminded to prayer later.
• Pray for them throughout the week, you may want to call or e-mail to check in on them. It will surprise them and show you truly are concerned for them.
• Follow up by asking about them later - this proves you really prayed and really care! If you say you will pray about a sick grandma and never ask how she is doing, did you really prayer? Did you really care? How could you still be praying if you don’t even know if she is alive still?
• Share your own concerns with them, so they see you are real. You don’t need to share your deepest struggles, but demonstrate your own dependance on God by sharing the things you are currently praying about. As they see God answer your prayers, they will share in the rejoicing and be all the more eager to make prayer a part of their life.
• Pray for others besides yourselves. Pray for their parents. Ask them how you can pray for their parents. Kids who are upset with their parents will be forced to see their parents in a new light - as other people with problems, worries, concerns and struggles. If they talk about kids they are having issues with, what a perfect opportunity to demonstrate “praying for our enemies!”

Don’t just give prayer lip service - make it an essential part of your discipling and you will see God work because he loves to answer prayer!

Looking for a fun way to remind kids what to pray about?

Check out A Hand in Prayer on Kidology.org. It is a “handy” way to teach young children to remember what to pray for by using each finger on their hand to represent something.

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