God Hears Our Prayers

Hey, Bridge Family,

Would you agree that prayer is vital? The problem is that many of us treat prayer like we do stretching. It’s something we know we should do daily, but we struggle to find time for it. Whether or not we exercise, stretching is essential for our long-term physical health. The same is even more true for prayer, especially when it comes to our spiritual health. Yet, for some reason, like stretching, prayer often becomes an afterthought for many of us. However, the Apostle Paul points out we need to “never stop praying (1 Thes 5:17 NLT),” which by the nature of that statement means prayer should never be an afterthought but a way of life. So then, how many of us never stop praying? I wish I could tell you I never stop, but I can’t. I wish I prayed more. It is truly a habit I need to focus on in my walk. How about you? How about your children?

I believe we sometimes avoid prayer because we make it more complicated than God intended. We make it too difficult and miss out on the amazing benefits God offers to deepen our relationship with Him. Like stretching, we fail to see that prayer is what truly improves our long-term spiritual health. The great thing is that it is never too late to start, or for that matter, never too early for our children to begin. Teach them to pray from a young age, and I believe that they will never stop praying.
Pray often with your kids; you pray and have them pray as they learn from you. Here are some ideas that can help you get started. You can use the Lord’s prayer as a template (Matt 6:9-13).

1) Talk to God as you would to a friend—no need to use fancy words.
2) Praise God for being awesome.
3) Thank him for the things going on in your life
4) Ask God to help others in your life
5) Rejoice in his forgiveness and ask him to help you faithfully follow him.
Remember, it’s never too late to engage. As long as your child is at home, you have an excellent opportunity to share the Bible and explore it together, making faith an exciting and meaningful adventure. God Bless, and hope to see your family on Sunday.
Pastor Bob