Prayer University
Welcome to Prayer University! Whatever your discovery level in the power and practice of prayer, the teachings offered are here to help.
PRAYER 101 - Teaches the basic that prayer is more than the necessary daily conversation with God – it is the recognition of His very presence with you in every circumstance. As your prayer life expands, you discover prayer is worship, getting our lives aligned with His will, making us aware of His provision and adding to our personal development.
EMPOWERED THROUGH PRAYER - Go further and deeper than ever in your practice of effective, persistent prayer through Prayer University, with lessons created especially to empower you to pray for America and her leaders during this vital time in the nation’s history.
Written exclusively for you by your prayer team writers, we are pleased to offer this continuing prayer education to you – and look forward to receiving your comments.
Center Stage
How mothers can teach their children to pray
by Carol Hatcher
Ivan Mestrovic, a famous Croatian artist, captured it – the tender love of a mother teaching her child to pray. Cast in bronze, the sculpture portrays the head and hands of a mother looking to heaven. Nestled behind her praying hands is a child.
Isn’t that the way of it? Children lie somewhere in between a mother’s hands and her heart.
Mothers are afforded the opportunity to be a child’s first teacher. Before pre-school, before Sunday school, before children’s church…there are moms. They are the ones who can clap and audibly thank God for their cherub’s first steps, and then praise Him louder when the baby misses the coffee table by inches after missteps.
Each time a mom utters the name of God, their child is listening. When a mom sits at the table to read the Bible and pray, their child is watching. The curtains have risen and the spotlight is on. What will you do with it?
It’s never too early or too late
From the time your baby is placed in your arms, utter your prayers out loud. Sing them over your tiny infant. Don’t wait until you think they are old enough to understand. You’d be surprised how much they comprehend. Model praying early and they’ll grow up knowing how to talk to God.
If your children are older, don’t worry. Take time with them to pray now. Pray over their worries about school and friendships. Pray with them over broken hearts and first jobs. When they see the priority you put on prayer, it will affect their own relationship with the Almighty.
Model it
The best way to teach your child how to talk to God is to lead by example. Pray out loud, and when you do, speak in simple sentences that your child can understand. Let them see how talking to your Heavenly Father is natural. Pray as you go through your day. Talking to God is not only relegated to heads bowed and hands folded.
Praise God for the strawberries you are washing for dinner. Thank God for the mail carrier when he brings your letters. When friends call needing prayer, pray for them over the phone within earshot of your children. Show them the importance of lifting others before the throne of God.
It’s as easy as 1-2-3
Here are some simple steps to teach your family how to pray:
1. Close eyes
Start early teaching tiny ones, “We close our eyes when we talk to God.” Not that eye closing is necessary, but it is a great signal for toddlers to say, “This is our time to be still and quiet before the Lord.” Don’t worry if they peek. They will, but so will you.
2. Echo prayer
Once your children can copy what you say, invite them to say the prayer before a meal. Ask them to repeat your prayer one sentence at a time. Start simple with, “Thank you God for food. Thank you God for family. Help us make good choices. Amen.”
Once, my two-year-old barked the whole prayer with the exact number of syllables as my sentences because she had been playing “puppy” before dinner. Remember, anything can happen with kids. Be prepared when it does and laugh. Those situations make great memories.
3. Individual prayer
As your kids grow and gain confidence, encourage them to construct their own prayers. Teach them the A.C.T.S. model (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) as one way to pray but don’t limit their creativity. Let them do what feels comfortable. There are many ways to talk to God. Sometimes children can teach you a thing or two.
Prayer warriors are grown over time. Don’t force your children to pray. Instead, make your own prayer life so abundant they can’t help but want to follow. When in doubt, like the great sculptor Mestrovic, place your little ones somewhere in between your hands and your heart and begin. “Our Father who art in Heaven…”
Carol Hatcher is a former elementary school teacher turned writer, and is a regular contributor to the Vantage Point devotional series. This southern belle lives with her husband and three children in Buford, GA.
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PRAYER 101 LESSONS
Motivate Yourself to Pray
Four things you need to know to motivate yourself to pray:
Lesson 1 – Prayer is loving communication with God
Lesson 2 – You Speak; He Speaks
Lesson 3 – God listens and responds
Lesson 4 – Lack of prayer causes problems
Sovereignty of God in Prayers
Five-part series examining the sovereignty of God and how it relates to your prayers for the nation and its leaders.
Lesson 1 – The Sovereignty of God defined
Lesson 2 – How Prayer connects Earth and Heaven
Lesson 3 – Your Prayer help wage the battle
Lesson 4 – Praying for the lost
Lesson 5 – Praying for the salvation of others
Understanding Who God Is:
Four Characteristics of God Related to Prayer
Lesson 1 – His omnipotence – He is all-powerful
Lesson 2 - His omniscience – He is all-knowing
Lesson 3 – His omnipresence – He is all-present
Lesson 4 – He is love – all the time
The ACTS Model of Prayer
Helpful tool of the ACTS model of prayer (adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication):
Lesson 1 – Adoration
Lesson 2 – Confession
Lesson 3 – Thanksgiving
Lesson 4 – Supplication
What Jesus Revealed Concerning Prayer
Five important concepts Jesus’ actions and teachings reveal concerning prayer and the Christian’s relationship with God:
Lesson 1 – What Christ says about prayer
Lesson 2 – How the Holy Spirit guides and comforts you
Lesson 3 – Why and How Jesus Prayed
Lesson 4 – The power of confession and forgiveness
Lesson 5 – Lessons and benefits of the Lord’s prayer
Creative Ways to Pray as a Family
Lesson 1 - Kids Included
Lesson 2 - Dynamic Duo
Worship in Prayer
Lesson 1 - Worship defined – and how it motivates prayer
Lesson 2 - Meeting With Your Creator – Prayer changes you more than you know
Wonderfully written article Carol. Thank you so much.