At 3 a.m. Saturday and Sunday morning, my husband and I were awakened by a blinding light in our eyes. The light was a flashlight from our nine year old, waking me to say he couldn’t sleep. My husband’s reply to our son was, “Son, turn that light out, you’re not the police! Go back to bed.” Of course Mama got up and walked her baby boy back to bed. I used this opportunity, as tired as I was, to help my son develop his personal relationship with God. We prayed together asking God to help him fall asleep and to have good dreams. When I got back to my bedroom, I begged God to answer our prayers not only so I could get some sleep, yet so my son could see, once again, the power of God for himself. It would have been easy to tuck him back into bed and tell him I would pray for him, yet I knew these unusual early morning awakenings were not by chance. Sunday evening, my son finally shared with me that God answered our prayers. Thank you, Jesus! It’s so important for our children, no matter what age, to see and understand the awesome power of God through prayer - for themselves. Having them depend and hang on our prayers denies them of the wonderful relationship with God we benefit from and also keeps them from seeing His mighty acts. Our precious children need to know we pray and more importantly, they need to hear us pray. Having them hear our prayers not only teaches them to pray, yet will equip our future Mothers, Fathers, and our next generation of leaders with spiritual wisdom, knowledge, and a fervent prayer life. From toddlers to teenagers, ensure your child knows the power of prayer – it’s their only connection to God.
Psalm 78:4 (NIV)
We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.
