Are Your Children Learning To Pray?

Ecc 12:1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

My young ones were 3 and 4 years of age, and my heart was earnest for them to be godly. As I thought on the early Church, I imagined the people gathering together for fellowship and prayer. In my minds eye I saw them kneeling in prayer and worshiping God together for hours at a time, but where were their children? Ah, I thought, they must have been along side their parents on their knees as well, and learning to pray.

Learning to Pray!

The thought alarmed me! So with sober and careful willingness, I began to teach my children to pray.

In the morning after we read the Bible, we got down on our knees together, I began with a prayer of thanksgiving, the children took turns thanking God too, and then we prayed for family and friends, and so on. . . At first I kept the time to 10 minutes and gradually increased it until we were praying together for 2 hours at a time, (I was doing most of the praying.) We didn't pray that long every single day but there were many days that we did, and it was not a burden to them. My grown daughter now tells me that after awhile as time went on and I prayed, she would play with her hands and make up games, but most importantly, she was learning to pray, and so was I! I'll never forget the time after a long prayer session my 5 year old son exclaimed, "Mommy, I feel like gold is being sprinkled all over my head!"And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation. (Psalms 35:9). Yes, it was a very joyful time!


This was wonderful but I had to learn another lesson concerning prayer and that is; "Pray without ceasing." (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Yes, praying long hours together is good and teaches children the practice of praying together well... but fellowship with God does not stop as we get up off our knees. . . it's a daily and continual fellowship!

Are your children learning to Pray?
Are you?

When we are praying through-out the day; singing prayers to God, praising Him, falling on our knees and calling on Him for help in crisis, we are teaching our children to pray.

When our children have their own "child like" crisis we can teach them that all answers lie in calling on our Lord Jesus Christ. Any form of trouble, sickness, sadness, hurt, problems. . . Where do we teach our children the answers lie? (In man?) Oh, let us teach them to seek God for help first of all! Doing this will train them and teach them that Jesus Christ our Lord is the One they should go to for every need in every situation all throughout their lives!

Oh mothers! Let us teach our children to pray and draw near to God!
Let us pray earnestly for our own dear children, for their salvation and godliness!
God is faithful! We have a noble work to do!

Pro 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)

Are Your Children Filled With God's Holy Word?

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
(Psalms 119:11)

Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
(Psalms 119:9)

And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
(Deuteronomy 6:7-9)

When my little ones were just small infants, I would read the Word of God to them while I was nursing and as they grew, they heard the Scriptures daily.
When they were 4 and 3 years old, God impressed it upon my heart to help them memorize the Scripture, but how?

I began reading the first chapter of Proverbs to them everyday...now, I didn't want them to become tired of doing this, so we made it into a "following" game, I in the front with my Bible and they behind, would wind around the house as a train (or go outside on nice days). It became great fun for us and my 4 and 3 year olds were quoting the entire chapter before long, without help. Then we would follow with chapter 2 and so on. . . before long they were able to quote 8 chapters of Proverbs by the ages of 6 and 5...
We also learned many of the Psalms that way, and other chapters from the other books of the Bible.
We read Proverbs daily. . . the day/the chapter, until the entire book of Proverbs was read for the month, then start over the next month. They could quote many verses because of this!

My children were filled with the Word of God! How wonderful !

Some dear friends have begun reading the First Chapter of Psalms every evening to their 2 year old, (almost 3). The other night the Dad asked, "Who wants to read Psalm 1 tonight?" Their little one said, "I do!" and sat at the table with her Daddy's Bible and quoted Psalm 1 ( with her very precious 2 year old voice.) by memory as if reading from the Bible! The joy and blessing from God upon them for doing this is very evident. Yes, there is great contentment and wells of joy springing out in the hearts and minds of parnets and children when God's Word fills them!

Oh dear mothers! Teach your precious children the Word of God! What is better then this?

Let not anything get in your way of teaching them scripture! When you begin teaching them Gods Word, you will find the greatest resistance from the enemy of our souls. . . but God is greater! This takes spiritual warfare! Pray for God to help you and deliver you, your husband and your children from the attacks of the enemy. Pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ for help and strength, don't give up on this important mission just because you find it very difficult to do! Persevere in the battle! The enemy wants to destroy your children. . . pray for them, teach them God's way and live godly before them.

Are Your Children Filled With God's Holy Word?
Are You?

We must remember that teaching our children begins with taking a look at our own selves. Are we taking time with our Saviour? I have heard mothers complain that they don't have time to fellowship with God because of the children keeping them so busy. How about bringing the little ones into your fellowship? Teach them to kneel and pray with you, let them see you and hear you reading the Bible often. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another( your children included) in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord". (Colossians 3:16)

How old do your children have to be before they can memorize God's Holy Word? "If I had known" A thing I find myself saying. . . I would have begun MUCH EARLIER teaching them to memorize Scripture

How old do your children have to be before they can memorize Scripture? 5 Years old ? 7? 10?

How about starting with Zero years old? While a child is still in the womb!
Yes! unborn children can learn and start memorizing while still in the womb!

Here are just a few examples I found on the Internet that have studied "Life in the Womb". You might find this incredible:

http://www.bouncing-new-baby.com/Teaching_Baby.htm

http://ezinearticles.com/?Introducing-Your-Baby-To-Books-While-In-The-Womb-Isnt-As-Stupid-As-It-Sounds&id=305709

http://www.birthpsychology.com/lifebefore/earlymem.html . . . . Life Before Birth (very good)

"An important message of these diverse findings is that memory and learning seem to be a natural part of being human, including the first nine months in the womb and the years of infancy, defined as the time before speech. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that life in the womb is extremely active and interactive and the womb is, in fact, a classroom."

Learning in the Womb

Several studies suggest that children can learn while they are still in the womb. For example, newborns prefer the sound of their own mother's voice. In one experiment, they learned to change their pattern of sucking in order to activate a recording of their mother's voice instead of that of another woman. The preference appears to have been acquired before birth.
In another case, newborns preferred the sound of their mother's voice when it was adjusted to resemble what they might have heard in the womb.
In an even more amazing study, newborns stopped crying and responded to songs played on shows that their mothers watched while they were pregnant.
Prenatal learning seems to extend to the sense of taste as well. Mothers who maintained the same diet before and after they gave birth were more successful in breastfeeding than mothers who changed to a less spicy diet. This may reflect the child's preference for food the mother ate while she was pregnant because the mother's milk contains clues about her diet. From:
.http://www.sfuhl.org/f_learning_in_womb.htm

Oh mothers! Start now to fill your children with God's Wonderful Holy Word!
Is there ANYTHING Better?

Are Your Children A Delight To Be Around?

"Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest;
yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul. "

Oh mothers! How wonderful it is to be around children that obey and are happy!
Where are the happy obedient children? In godly homes where children know their boundaries and are secure in the love of discipline and are taught the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is NO exception to this rule! I have heard too many mothers complain that their children just do not listen and no matter how many times they spank, the children still do not obey.
They have not gotten to the heart of the matter. . . that is, the child's heart.


Will children that are given the world; television, movies, video games, friends of various types, Sunday school, public school, baby sitters, left alone, unsupervised, put to the side, ignored. . . will they be happy obedient children? If they fit into any of the above categories, it will be very difficult to train the child to be godly and obedient. Such a child will learn the ways of the world, and will delight in the sin of the world. Such a child will not be a delight to be around!

Are your children a delight to be around?
Are you?


The most important way to achieve a happy and obedient child, is in the obedience of the mother herself to authority. Let us examine our own hearts and see what areas of our lives there is rebellion against God and bring these before God in repentance. We then can have a clearer path to understand how to teach our dear children to obey authority.

Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. Isa. 58:14

TIME and WORK and COMMITMENT

Do I want a happy child?
A child that is a delight?
Yes! a child that smiles,
And then obeys,
A child who loves the right?

Then I must pray,
Oh pray for God to show,
Just how I should teach,
Just how I should love,
Just how to let them know.

Oh for Time to teach them!
It's something of the heart!
I must forsake the lesser,
Invest into the better,
God help me do my part!

Oh the Work to teach them!
It's not a simple thing!
God gives the strength,
Such noble work! To
Teach, to play and sing!

Oh the Commitment it takes!
It's all that I can do!
Lord take my hand, teach
Me now, the perfect way,
To bring my child to You.

Oh do I Understand?
To save my life, I loose it,
To loose my life, I save it,
Lord Jesus Christ I give it,
My Life is yours to use it!

And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 1 Sam. 15:22