Children Can Pray....How to Lead Children in Prayer

CHILDREN CAN PRAY!!
By Gwen Moffat Davis ICMI USA

The earth reverberates under the authority of Jesus’ bold declaration in Matthew 21:13 “My house shall be called a House of Prayer”. He was quoting from Isaiah 56:7 “My house shall be called a House of Prayer for all people.” This is the day of which He was speaking. There is a stirring worldwide to PRAY!! People are gathering in stadiums, open fields, and churches. Holy Spirit is faithfully fulfilling the words of Jesus, working the desire in the hearts of all ages to pray for all people…..until we are known as “a house of prayer.”

Children are not excluded. With the onslaught of Satan’s final effort to destroy this generation, Holy Spirit is moving mightily in the hearts of children and youth in fresh and powerful ways. He is raising up youth who are fearless, full of faith, and zealous for His cause. He is giving them the yearning to know God in an intimate way and spend time listening to HIS pleasure. He is teaching them to yield to earnest intercession and strong travail, like days of old. They are making bold declarations, inspired by His Spirit. Holy Spirit is truly “raising up a standard.”

Many times in India, we have witnessed Holy Spirit falling upon children, filling them with His power, and using them in strong prayer for hours. In Papua New Guinea, one area has experienced a mighty move of God among the children. The children often gather and pray for three hours. In China, the children and youth join in the earnest intercession of the adults. In America, one church in Pennsylvania had prayer meetings for ages 4 to 18 for several years. The children and youth would gather together weekly for their own prayer meetings and before the Sunday meetings. There are children’s prayer movements in Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and in African nations. Our Love in Action summer teen team has witnessed numerous visitations with strong prayer. (until even 2AM)

When I was a child in the Pentecostal churches, the churches had altar calls after each fiery, heart-piercing sermon. We went to the altar to respond to the cutting word, weeping over our sins, the lost, or preparing for His soon return etc. Like Timothy absorbed faith from his mother and grandmother, we LEARNED to pray by being with people who prayed!! I am so thankful that I learned to pour my heart out to Him at an early age. That is missing in most churches today. Many children and youth (and even adults) have never wept for the lost or anything but themselves. Thank God for all of the teaching on prayer and information that is available today, but there is no substitute for Holy Ghost inspired and sustained prayer. He reveals the will of the Father and releases it to be done on earth through our prayers! Let’s be sure that our children are exposed to “all manner of prayer.” We need their prayers and they need to pray!

LET’S BEGIN:

1-Teach very young children to say a sentence in prayer.
2-Allow children to each choose one item from your list to prayer for.
3-Teach them to pray specific prayers, releasing their faith.
4-Give them opportunity to be filled with Holy Spirit……He will teach them to pray!
5-Train them to recognize God’s voice or inner leading, giving a “burden” for which to pray.
6-Study the scriptural and general topics for which we can pray: (See 5 Things Lesson..Prayer)
· Government
· The Church
· The Persecuted Brethren
· Our Enemies
· The Lost
· All saints (believers)
· Our families
· Etc.
7-Encourage them to have their own prayer time (See Power Hour and Prayer List in this section).
8-Teach the parents the importance of praying as families, giving them tools and guidelines.
9-Provide regular opportunities to meet with other children/youth to pray.
10-Creatively include the children/youth in the whole church prayer meetings. They need to be shown the esteem of the leaders in order to feel free to participate.
11-Take the children on prayer journeys……walking, by bicycle, in a van,…..praying for needy neighborhoods, schools, government buildings, jails, abortion clinics, etc. As they see and hear of the need, their hearts will be stirred.
12-Inform them of the global need to bring in the Harvest. (Use Operation World resources)
13-Show videos of the critical needs among children globally…..starvation, war, prostitution, child labor, AID orphans, etc. Then let them pray. Some will be “called” to become involved at home, raising support etc., but others will be “called” to GO!
14-Let them see pictures, videos, and gather information about the persecuted church and PRAY!
15-Laminate pictures of your missionaries and families…..with the names, ages, and country written on the back. Pass them around and let the children pray for the picture that they hold.
Use an earth ball (air filled or cloth) to throw to a child in a circle. The one who catches it prays for the country where His hand is touching.
16-Make a large world map to put on the floor. Let the children kneel or prostrate themselves in prayer for different nations.
17-Pray about current events, looking for God’s heart and solution in each event.
18-Pray for the sick church members, praying over cloths to distribute to them.
19-Teach them to lay hands on and pray for adults, listening for His voice for instructions how to minister to the person.
20-Assure them of the authority they have in Jesus Name. Do not be preoccupied with the devil. 21-Expect for them to be used in the Gifts of the Spirit in these prayer sessions.
22-Celebrate each answer to prayer!

LET THEM HEAR YOU PRAY LIKE JESUS, “with strong crying & tears” Hebrews 5:7


RESOURCES:
Walters, David. Children’s Prayer Manual, c.2001, http://www.goodnews.netministries.org/.
Fuller, Cheri. When Children Pray, c.1998, Multinomah Publishing
Wooden, Keith. Teaching Children to Pray, c.1992, Zondervan Publishing
How to Start a Children’s Prayer Ministry, Ministry to Today’s Child, e-mail: MTTC@aol.com.
Mackie, Jane. Kids Pray! Children’s Prayer Network of Australia E-mail: jmmackie@ozemail.com.au
Kilbourn, Phyllis. Children in Crisis: A New Commitment (presents the global crisis) Marc Publications
Johnstone, Jill. You Can Change the World Vol. 1 & 2. (colored drawings of unreached people) Zondervan
Children of the Window Prayer Calendar. Caleb Project http://www.calebproject.org/
Link Int’l. Newsletter for children about prayer for the persecuted church http://www.linkingup.com/
Viva Network. http://www.viva.org/ Click: Children’s Prayer. Creative ideas for praying for children in crisis.
World Vision International (excellent videos showing children in need) http://www.worldvision.org/
Ilnisky, Esther. Let the Children Pray. C.2000. Regal Books
Laguardia, Lenny, International House of Prayer, http://www.ihop.org/ “Children’s Equipping Center”