tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315918267720338482.post3562322904243220741..comments2023-06-28T06:24:34.347-04:00Comments on New Every Morning: Little Pray-ersGretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17078543392410879361noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315918267720338482.post-37150972598499932652010-07-07T14:58:26.044-04:002010-07-07T14:58:26.044-04:00Thank you for your refreshing reminder.Thank you for your refreshing reminder.Evihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12511623175995676522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315918267720338482.post-79149116080321965172010-06-30T00:28:15.330-04:002010-06-30T00:28:15.330-04:00My kids can be quick pray-ers, too. But you know w...My kids can be quick pray-ers, too. But you know what, at least they're developing the discipline of prayer. I can't imagine daily prayer when I was their ages. Also, even though I know prayer is conversational, I tend to pray the priestly blessing over each of them (Numbers 6:24) as they hop out of the minivan to school. <br /><br />I echo one of the above commenters: you're such a great parent!Gretchenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02576409086020993015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315918267720338482.post-82181683599378756152010-06-29T16:38:24.037-04:002010-06-29T16:38:24.037-04:00I love that your little man is so eager to talk to...I love that your little man is so eager to talk to God. :-) I have a 4 year old who is equally as eager. It is so sweet and tender. And I agree that modeling prayer for our children is so critical. We pray both "conversationally" as you described and with written prayers in our home and church. I was raised in a church where praying written prayers was considered inauthentic or rhetoric as you described. Now that I am in a church that uses a prayer book, I can see how wrong that teaching and my resulting perception was. Yes, it is possible to read the prayer out of the book and allow it to be empty words rolling off the tongue out of habit. That can be the case in a conversational type prayer too. Prayer is what you put into it. We have beautiful prayers in our prayer book that are steeped in Scripture and there is much power in praying God's word back to Him. Like a previous commenter said, sometimes it is a comfort to have words committed to memory when you feel at a loss for words. It is also wonderful to be in a room full of my brothers and sisters in Christ and join together in an earnest prayer that echoes through the rafters as we all pray it together. I can remember a time when my husband was still in seminary that I was feeling such intense spiritual dryness (Satan really worked over-time on the spouses of the students in seminary!) and I was blessed to attend a retreat for ministry wives from a variety of denominations. I was feeling such refreshment from the worship, from the time alone where I could just focus on being in prayer and Scripture, from the sessions I was attending. It was a glorious time! That night in our main session, the guest speaker they had brought in for the retreat was giving her testimony and speaking to us and in the midst of her message she made a comment about people who just pray rote prayers out of books and how they never really talk to God and how impersonal their relationship with God must be. I was absolutely crushed! I took that so personally--I felt so misunderstood and judged by her. It wasn't even relevant to what she was speaking about. I don't know why she even said it! But I can tell you, I didn't hear another word she said for the rest of the retreat. <br /><br />We should absolutely teach our children to pray, and we should teach them in the way we feel led, but we should always be careful not to pass on judgement and bias. I'm as surprised as anyone at what richness these written prayers have added to my daily walk and worship.Samanthahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08577111146723078502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315918267720338482.post-85899340383909308472010-06-29T06:56:51.507-04:002010-06-29T06:56:51.507-04:00i love that you are sharing your relationship with...i love that you are sharing your relationship with them. modeling your love and His. we do both here. recite prayers and conversation prayers. but when my heart is at a loss and the words will not come, i am always thankful for the prayers that have been etched on my heart... the ones that are automatic and swift... the ones that come to me when my own words are lost.Dawnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03037135437820258553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315918267720338482.post-49279187310337832962010-06-28T23:42:17.465-04:002010-06-28T23:42:17.465-04:00We have a "set" bedtime prayer and then ...We have a "set" bedtime prayer and then each add "special" things after that. I feel like it's important to give my kids something definite and concrete to "know" in their heads--sort of like the words to a hymn, it can comfort in times of desperation :) However, that being said, I LOVE to hear their prayers after we've said the group prayer. Its amazing to watch their experience and growth with God. Ignore the eye rolls--keep up the good work!Julie @ Sweet Chaoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13837645810265048881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315918267720338482.post-17603730362167773972010-06-28T21:10:20.281-04:002010-06-28T21:10:20.281-04:00So true! I love to hear all of them pray, & it...So true! I love to hear all of them pray, & it was so sweet one night at the beach that after he finished, he thought of something else & wanted to know if he could pray again. "Of course!" I said. He then prayed for the 2 ladies that his sister has been praying for over the last 2 months: women on 2 different episodes of "The Dog Whisperer" she watched with me who flaunted their lack of belief in God. One is a Hollywood comedienne, & it so inspires me to realize that M. has been praying for her consistently to come to know Jesus. And now, her faithfulness in doing so has inspired the little man to also pray for them. We all can learn from one another the importance & privilege of prayer!Sandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02467934040374323391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315918267720338482.post-17320537353030269322010-06-28T20:42:13.825-04:002010-06-28T20:42:13.825-04:00We've done the same thing with our boys, and i...We've done the same thing with our boys, and it really does make a difference. We still do prayers together at night (as long as we're all here!!)We take turns--the boys and my husband and I. It strengthens all our prayer life. Thanks for sharing!!<br />Hugs!<br />SusanRunner Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13117856929394961713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315918267720338482.post-47016411790729896412010-06-28T20:13:30.967-04:002010-06-28T20:13:30.967-04:00So sweet...and what an awesome blog post!
Love ...So sweet...and what an awesome blog post! <br /><br />Love your family!!Traceyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07387284611336482267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315918267720338482.post-69196574881469193152010-06-28T18:39:25.241-04:002010-06-28T18:39:25.241-04:00Yes, those are precious moments to teach our child...Yes, those are precious moments to teach our children. You are so right when you said we shouldn't do rote memory prayers. We need to talk to Him as we would someone standing next to us, because He IS there!! That is exciting to her about little man. :)Kelliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05667053558748094010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315918267720338482.post-88855171601617552232010-06-28T18:35:03.088-04:002010-06-28T18:35:03.088-04:00My sister and I did "God is great" and &...My sister and I did "God is great" and "Thank you for the world sweet" prayers growing up. :) We have not taught our kids that, though. Prayer is difficult to teach without modeling, something I am working harder on this summer.Joy for the Seasonshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09847106596890830038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315918267720338482.post-53508492236099633522010-06-28T17:06:40.488-04:002010-06-28T17:06:40.488-04:00Thanks for the encouragement in this area! Y'...Thanks for the encouragement in this area! Y'all are such good parents. :)ashleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05996011824118285559noreply@blogger.com