Focus on the Family Magazine - April/May 2024

KIDS & TEENS / FAITH
4 onramps
to prayer
Getting your kids ready
to talk with God
BY ERICA RENAUD
ILLUSTRATIONS BY DREW BARDANA
IT WAS A GENTLE PLEA.
“Come on, boys. Let’s pray before bed.”
Nothing. No response.
I tried again. “OK, now. We’re going
to put those things away so we can
pray together.”
I couldn’t blame my kids. I was
inviting them into something far less
interesting, in their minds, than Calvin
and Hobbes or an epic battle between
Cyclops and Hippopotamus Man.
My gentle plea turned into a command.
“Boys, pause what you’re doing.
Close the book and set the figures down.”
The book closed, and the toy figurines
were laid on their sides.
Now my boys were ready to pray.
Right?
Not quite.
Outwardly they looked ready, but
inwardly they were someplace else. I can
only think that my oldest was wondering
what Calvin would do on the next page,
and my youngest was sneaking peeks
at his Cyclops and probably thinking
something like, This isn’t a win, Hippo
Man. Just you wait! It became clear that
the path from play to prayer was more
involved than just putting down their
books and toys.
Every parent well versed in the getready-for-bed
struggle knows that a
successful bedtime works only if children
are outwardly and inwardly ready to
sleep. They may have their teeth brushed
and pj’s on, but that doesn’t mean they
will immediately lie down and fall asleep.
In the same way, even when our children
pause and close their eyes, it doesn’t
mean they’re ready to pray.
Starting the journey
Throughout the Bible, we see people
making long physical journeys to
meet with God. Moses climbed Mount
Sinai, Hannah traveled to the temple
and the paralytic was carried who
knows how far to meet Jesus for healing.
We may not need to make a long
physical journey, but as I learned with
my boys, there is still a journey to be
made if we hope our children will
authentically engage God in prayer.
So how do we bring our children
from wherever they are mentally
and physically to a place where
they are ready to talk with God? We
build what I like to call an on-ramp.
Here are four ideas for building an
on-ramp for your children to prepare
them for prayer.
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APR / MAY 2024