Over the past couple of weeks we have been talking about prayer. This Sunday we are going to conclude our three-week series and if you haven’t been in church, you will definitely want to be at Amberlea this week.

Last week we tackled the question “Why doesn’t God answer our prayers?” We looked at five things that matter to God when we pray. So, on Sunday, (SPOILER ALERT), when I ask the question, “Who can name the five things that matter to God when we pray”, be sure to yell out:

relationships!
motives!
the way we live!
our faith!
God’s will!

If you are the first and loudest, you’re going to walk away with a cool prize.

This week we’re going to look at how we should pray.

Prayer is so important, isn’t it? And believe it or not when it comes to teaching our children how to pray we are their greatest role models.

When Emily and Tyler were little we had a practice of praying for them every day before they went off to school. This was particularly important on days they had a test. I would make sure that on such days we would say a special prayer. I would place my hand on their shoulder and I would pray that God would bless them as they wrote their test. I would pray that God would calm their nerves and I prayed that God would honour the time they had spent studying. It was a simple prayer.

We did this for years, and years and years. I still pray for them before they write an exam. They have now come to expect it.

But here is the cool part: what we model becomes part of them.

I remember like it was yesterday the morning I preached my very first sermon. I was a nervous wreck. Emily was 12 and Tyler was 10. It was Sunday morning and we were getting ready to leave for church and I suddenly thought I was going to be sick. I was so scared and in that moment had no ability to hide it. I sat down on the stairs in our hallway and put my head in my hands.

And that’s when it happened.

Emily and Tyler came on either side of me, put their hands on my shoulder and began to pray. They prayed that God would bless me. They prayed that God would calm my nerves. And they prayed that God would honour the time I spent preparing. It was a simple prayer. It was unexpected. It was amazing, and I was blessed.

What we do matters.

Even if you have never prayed out loud for your child, spouse or significant other before, I want to encourage you to do it. Even if it feels weird or silly do it for you, do it for them and do it for God.

You never know what you will begin in their lives by saying a simple prayer.