1. Teaching Our Children To Pray
Deborah Harris, PhD ( )

2. Typical Beliefs Prayer must be done at least 3 times a day
Prayer must be done on your knees
Prayer is one-way communication with you doing all of the talking and God doing all of the listening
Prayer is how you ask God for what you want
Prayer is a ritural
Prayer is an art where you master a specific way to pray (Adoration Confession Thanksgiving Supplication)

3. COMPLIMENTS OF SATAN
Warped understanding of prayer

4. Warped Understanding Leads To
Unrealistic expectations
Prayer becomes a tool to accomplish personal goals
Disappointment, frustration and anger
Empty unfilled prayer life
Distance from God
You Get Stuck!

5. Understanding the Essence of Prayer
Communion with God
Humbly opening one’s heart to God
Building a relationship with God
Knowing God
Surrender to God’s will
Natural, spontaneous expression of our feelings
Communication (expressive and receptive)

6. Types of Prayers Personal Prayer (Hannah - 1 Sam. 1)
Prayer of Deliverance (Jonah 2)
Elijah’s prayer about the greatness of God (1 Kings 18)
Daniel’s intercessory prayer (Dan. 9)
Prayer of Commitment by Jesus (Matt. 26)
Prayer of Unity by Jesus (John 17)
Zdravko Stefanovic, Walla Walla College

7. Whether or not we accept
What Really Matters?
Whether or not we accept
His will in our lives.
“Don’t try to change God’s mind or His plans for us or those for whom we pray. Rather, seek to be changed and be conformed to His will in our life.”
Stefanovic (2002)

8. When we open our hearts for His will in our life it also opens our hearts to all who interact with us.

9. The Power of Prayer
There is great strength and blessing in praying together in our families with and for our children (Child Guidance, 525)
Even the babe in its mother’s arms may dwell as under the shadow of the Almighty through the faith of the praying mother (Desire of Ages, 512)
Many children have been saved by a mother’s prayer. (Testimonies for the Church (Vol 2, 274, 275)

10. What Is Prayer?
Prayer is the breath of the soul. It is the secret of spiritual power. No other means of grace can be substituted, and the health of the soul be preserved. Prayer brings the heart into immediate contact with the well-spring of life…”
Gospel Workers, pp 254, 255)

11. But We Often Neglect The Importance of Praying Without Ceasing
Why?
Because they are a gift of God.
Because their whole life is before them
So they might be saved
So they grow and serve the Lord
So they may have a hedge of protection around them
Because you love them
But We Often Neglect The Importance of Praying Without Ceasing

12. Why?

13. Why?
Why?

14. Why We Must Intercede for Our Children?
Roaring Lion (1 Peter 5:8)
Last Day Events (2 Tim. 3:2)
It Works! (Bible Stories, Jesus,)
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous
man availeth much (James 5:13-16)

15. Intercessory Prayer
Never a human invention. It comes from the heart of God
It is selfless
God is searching for intercessors, someone who would stand in the gap on behalf of the land, but He found no one. (Ezekiel 22:30)
Jesus is the great intercessor.

16. Intercessory Prayer Jesus intercedes for us all of the time
Unbroken communion with His Father
John 17 - Prayed for self - His disciples - Others
Prayed for Simon Peter
Luke 22:31
Prayed for those who crucified Him
Luke 23:34
Prays for us
Romans 8:26

17. What Changes? RELATIONSHIPS Our perception of others
Our acceptance of others
Our status among others
Our patience with others
Our understanding of God
RELATIONSHIPS

18. Stop telling God about your mountains.
Start telling your mountains about your God!

19. Now let’s teach our children
Understand how they learn
Begin with obvious
End with the not so obvious

20. What The Brain Seeks….
Patterns
Meaning
Novelty
Questions

21. What The Brain Seeks…. Community Security Active Participation
Feedback/re cognition

22. Patterns
Memorization
Habit
Example

23. Experience (Object Lessons)
Meaning
Stories
Conversation
Experience (Object Lessons)

24. Try something different Make them think
Novelty and Questions
Try something different
Make them think

25. Community Prayer Scroll Traveling Prayer Chest Prayer in the Park
Hands Across the City
Corner Stop
Covered With Prayer
Prayer Parade
Anoint The Halls

26. Relate to concrete (parents) Develop object permanence (peek-a- boo)
Security
Relate to concrete (parents)
Develop object permanence (peek-a- boo)

27. Active Participation
“Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I will remember. Involve me and I will understand. Step back and I will act.”

28. Feedback and Recognition
Even Jesus wants our PRAISE!

29. Starts With Prayer, Ends With Action
The Message
Starts With Prayer, Ends With Action

30. Faith Without Works Is Dead
Do Something!

31. He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
 As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.
Ecclesiastes 11:4,5
Bigger Than Me
(Military, Developers, Disney)