Do Your Kids Pray Alone?

My wife and I enjoy praying with our kids. It's a blessing to get to hear their hearts as they talk to their Creator, and I love the chance to get to cover them in prayer, lifting up all of our needs, fears, desires, and praises before the Lord. 

But about a month ago, I began to wonder whether or not my kids ever pray when they're alone. So, one night during a family devotion, I asked them. They both could remember a few times when they did pray on their own, but for the most part, they seemed to agree that they only pray when we pray with them. 

Even though our children are young, I believe they're old enough to begin to learn the joy of a vibrant prayer life. After all, even the disciples of Jesus asked him to teach them to pray. So, our family is spending this year, intentionally teaching our children how to pray, and how they can have a prayer life even when we're not with them. 

Here are three things we're doing to encourage them to pray: 

(1) Our family devotions this year are focusing on stories in the Bible that demonstrate different types of prayers. Whether it's a passage from one of Paul's letters that calls us to pray all the time, a story about Jesus retreating for a time of solitude and private prayer, the prayer life of Daniel, or the simple prayer of Peter as he called out to Jesus while sinking in the sea, our children are engaging the Word of God and the discipline of prayer every week. 

(2) We continue to model prayer for them when we're together. While I am encouraging them to pray on their own as well, I don't want us to sacrifice or even shorten our family prayers. When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, he actually gave them a model prayer. In the same way, parents can best teach their children how to pray by praying with them. 

(3) For the first time, we are taking a family prayer retreat this year. We have a few days on the calendar when we will get away, unplug, and create space for our kids (and us) to encounter Christ through worship, prayer, and the Word, without the normal day-to-day distractions that often threaten such sweet times. 

Most families, regardless of how long they've been seeking Christ together, will find areas of their lives that need to be strengthened. For us, this year, it's prayer. What is it for you, and what are three ways you can begin to further devote this area to the Lord?