If you need healing, go to a doctor. If you need more money, work another job. If your favorite electronics go out, buy another. If your car quits running, take it to the mechanic...the list goes on, and on. Here in the good ol' USA, we rarely lack for anything. With the exception of the homeless, even those in poverty have shelter, and to some degree, at least one meal a day. What is there to ask God for? So, when I talk about prayer, and the need to be a praying father, I am fairly certain that I get tuned out. If I talk about the need to be a part of a weekly prayer meeting, the list of excuses come off our tongues fairly quickly.
Can we change that? Can we make prayer the first thing we do? Let me see if I can help you move that direction.
You don't have to be the ball hog when it comes to prayer. YES, I want you to be a praying father, but how about delegating some of the prayer duties to your children? When you find yourself needing healing, ask your little one to come over and pray for you. Use that moment to teach them about where healing comes from, and why it is important for them to pray for you. Let them know that they don't have to be an adult, or even a big kid to pray for healing. Teach them how to talk with God, and the importance of speaking the name of Jesus. Then, later, you will be pleasantly rewarded by them coming to pray for you when you haven't even asked them. Been there, had that happen, and there is nothing like it.
If you need more money, let them know that God is your supply, not just you working harder. You might be surprised by hearing them tell God their true heart about what they want. You might just hear them tell you that they just want more of you.
Children understand a lot more than we think they do. If our first solution to life's problems comes from ourselves, then you can bet that is where their faith will be. However, if you encourage them to pray for you, you show them that your faith is in God, and that they don't need to be ashamed of asking Him for personal matters. When you invite a child to pray for you, you give them the keys to faith. I believe in reading the bible, but I believe in prayer more.
To make my case with scriptures, let me point out that the Apostle Paul considered himself to be the spiritual father of many of the churches we read about in the New Testament. He was not afraid to ask for their prayers. Paul knew that if they could exercise their faith for him, that they could do it for one another, and for the work of the Gospel.
Sunday, we'll look at scriptures that will give you ideas of what to ask your kids to pray for.
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