National Day of Prayer: Prayer for Such a Time as This
I have unanswered prayers
I have trouble I wish wasn’t there
And I have asked a thousand ways
That You would take my pain away
I have trouble I wish wasn’t there
And I have asked a thousand ways
That You would take my pain away
Your Hands – JJ Heller
Every evening, the news is full of pain, disaster, and troubled times. It would be easy to feel hopeless and let down living in such a time as this, and yet, the Bible reminds us that the Lord is good and He is always with those who trust and believe in Him.
The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in Him.
Nahum 1:7
Today, May 6, 2010, is National Day of Prayer. An anual National Day of Prayer was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. It is a day on which people of all faiths are invited to pray for our nation: for government, military, media, business, education, church and family.
Don’t worry about anything.
But pray and ask God for everything you need.
And when you pray, always give thanks.
And God’s peace will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
That peace which God gives is so great that we cannot understand it.
Philippians 4: 6-7
Philippians 4: 6-7
As parents, we have worked diligently to teach our boys the importance of prayer. We started with the rhyming prayers children love to repeat: God is great, God is good, and we thank Him for our food…, moved on to musical prayers: Oh, the Lord is good to me, and so I thank the Lord…, and then watched in awe as the boys began to set their own prayers to familiar tunes (Go Tell it On the Mountain was a favorite prayer tune for some time). Now, the boys are learning to recite prayers directly from their hearts. to converse with their Heavenly Father, and we are seeing prayer become an integral and natural part of their day. And while they are still disappointed when prayers seemingly go unanswered or are not answered in the way they had hoped, I see them growing in their faith, in their trust of the Lord, and in their Christian spirit through the power of prayer… and that is an answer to prayers… MINE!
Today, please take a moment to pray for our nation, our leaders, and our government. There is no right or wrong way to pray, but here is a guideline we have used with the boys that may help if you are unsure of what to pray or how to teach your children to pray: The Five Finger Prayer.
First: Give PRAISE
Thank God for who He is, for something about Him, or for something He made. Encourage your child to do more than say, “Thank you for the flowers;” encourage him to elaborate on why he is thankful for the flowers: for their beauty, their scent, the way they provide food to the bees and butterflies…. If he is unsure of how to do this, model it for him until he can do it on his own.
Next: Offer THANKSGIVING
Thank God for something that He did for you today, being as specific as possible. Instead of praying, “Thank you for my Mommy,” encourage your child to pray, “Thank you for my Mommy who played catch with me today.”
Third: Make a REQUEST for SOMEONE ELSE
Ask God something specific. Rather than, “Help the poor,” ask God to help a certain family you know is struggling or a child your family sponsors. Encourage your child to pray daily for an ongoing need, as well as any needs that have come to his attention that day. If your child is having trouble thinking of a specific prayer, you might encourage him to choose an individual or family listed on your church’s prayer list. Remember, this is his prayer, not yours… so please be sure to keep requests in line with the gentle spirit of a child.
Then: Ask for FORGIVENESS
Children are more likely to be comfortable praying for forgiveness if they have seen their parents model it. When appropriate, confess your sins to God in front of your children; believe me, they do see when we make mistakes! Encourage your child to be specific in his prayer here, too. Rather than, “Forgive me for being mean to my brother,” you might suggest he say, “Forgive me for hitting my brother” or “Forgive me for hoarding the LEGOS and not sharing them with my brother.”
Finally: Make a REQUEST for YOURSELF
It is important that a child’s prayer time not turn into a Christmas wish-list. By encouraging him to praise and give thanks to God, to make a request for another, and to ask for forgiveness first, a child may be more likely to pray from his heart and to open a direct line of communication with our Lord and Savior. Encourage your child to really think about what he would like to request, and to be specific. Rather than praying, for example, “God, I want a puppy,” ask him to think of what he most struggles with and then pray for assistance with that struggle. Hint: his list of confessions should give both you and your child some insight into what he should be praying for here. Of course, the Bible does say… “If you believe, you will get anything you ask for in prayer” Matthew 21:22, so he may still want to pray for that puppy at the very end, right before the “Amen,” and there’s nothing wrong with that… of course, be prepared, a too-cute-to-turn-away stray puppy may just wander up to your door one afternoon following that prayer!