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DELIVER US FROM EVIL” The Lord’s Prayer won’t let us go until we acknowledge the reality and power of evil in the world. And perhaps we know this more intimately, more acutely as parents who have children to care for and pray over. Take heart, as people of faith we have something to say in light of traumatic events. We don’t know what the future will hold, but we do know who holds the future. Set aside time as a family. Say “Today, you may have heard about ____.” Describe the event using age-appropriate language. When in doubt, use less information. Remain calm and offer a sense of safety to the children. It’s good for parents to express emotion in children’s presence, but get help if you can’t remain calm. Say “I want you to know that you are safe and protected. Sometimes I want to snuggle you up like a Mommy bird. There is a Bible verse that says, ‘God will cover you with God’s feathers, and under God’s wings you can hide.’ Today let’s remember that God wants to snuggle and protect us just like we snuggle and protect you.” Decorate a picture of a bird, add the words of Psalm 91:4. Pretend you are a momma bird with chicks, wrap your child up in your “wings.”
“AMEN” It is our practice to conclude prayers with “Amen.” This is a Hebrew word for “So be it” or “This is true.” It expresses our assent to the words that have come before. Often, we offer a corporate “Amen.” When praying with our kids, these final words remind us that we do not pray alone. Even as you kneel down in the dark beside your squirmy, or sick, or defiant childthe prayers of the church are with you. Even as you run out of patience or energy or words- the Spirit will pray on your behalf. Read Romans 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.”
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INTRODUCTION
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Our children have an innate sense of spirituality. In The Spiritual Child: New Science of Parenting, Dr. Lisa Miller talks about how years of lab research are leading scientists to make the strong claim that “we have a natural spirituality: a biologically based faculty for transcendent knowing, relationship, and experience.” She claims that natural spirituality appears to be the single most significant factor in children’s health and their ability to thrive. While the scientific studies may be new, the idea is not. As Christians, we have affirmed this for a long time. In the 4th century, theologian St. Augustine said, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” As parents, we recognize our children’s innate sense of spirituality. We nurture it by giving them a language of faith, practicing patterns of ritual and worship. We teach them to pray. What follows are ways to recognize your child’s innate sense of spirituality, and some tips to help form their faith through prayer. Specifically, we will consider The Lord’s Prayer.
What is prayer? For children especially, prayer can look like lots of things- closed eyes, opened eyes, hands up, hands folded, corporate, private, sung, creative movement, crafty... In Christian Prayer for Today, Dr. Martha Moore-Keish defines prayer as “an encounter between ourselves and God.” Or as we say to our children, “Prayer is talking to God.”