National Day of Prayer- May 3

In Luke 11, the disciples ask Jesus, “Lord teach us to pray.”

At the National Day of Prayer service in Washington, DC, Senate Chaplain Barry Black raised an interesting question about this passage:  “When the disciples chose to ask for some advice from the Lord, they didn’t ask Him how to feed a multitude with a boy’s lunch.  Or how to exorcise demons or walk on water.  Instead they said ‘Lord teach us to pray.”

Why would that be their question?  Evidently they must have noticed a correlation between Christ’s power and His prayers.  And they were humble enough, at least in this instance, to admit, “I don’t know how to pray.”

Maybe you feel as if you don’t know how to pray either.  Maybe you’ve heard a lot of thees and thous and language that sounds more like Dante than dialogue.  Let me assure you, God’s not impressed with flowery words, canned cliches, or memorized phrases.  He’s interested in hearing genuine thoughts that come straight from your heart. (Luke 18:9-14)

Prayer is simply a conversation between you and God.  That’s it. Period.  And trust me, He really wants to hear from you.

All you have to do is be real.  Pray with honesty and authenticity.  Model that for your children.  Let them see and hear that talking to God can become as natural as talking to one another.

While every day we should take the opportunity to communicate with God, I challenge you to take a moment out of your day tomorrow, the National Day of Prayer, and spend time in prayer as a family.  Pray for our nation and our leaders, your neighbors, and every person in America who has yet to receive the grace and truth of Jesus Christ.  Maybe your family can join with others to pray… Click {here} for the National Day of Prayer website to find events going on in your area.

But don’t let your prayers end after tomorrow. Praying is like saying, “I love you.”  The more you do it, the more natural it becomes. Lead your kids in prayer when you’re driving in the car and an ambulance passes you on the highway.  Pray for the students as you round the corner by the high school.  Seize the moment to word simple prayers on behalf of individuals… then back up your prayers by taking your kids to volunteer at the shelter or the nursing home.  What’s the point of prayer if it doesn’t motivate us to action?

Raising Your Kids