I am happy to report that our Family Prayer Board is a glorious success. As the week went on there were more and more prayers added to the board. Each night before bed my children made sure they checked the board to see what has been added and to incorporate them into their bedtime prayers.
I alternate praying with my younger two babies, one night I will pray with them and one night I will let them pray together, simply because I want them to learn to pray on their own and not to always follow my lead or the things I say. One night while allowing them to pray on their own I stood outside the door to listen (this always bring my heart great joy, sometimes we'd be surprised at how much our children know) and they brought tears to my eyes. Because the board had quite a few prayers on it and some of them they couldn't remember individually they started "tag team praying". They would remind each other what else was on the board as they continued to pray together. Blessed and grateful are the only words to describe how that moment made me feel.
I am also happy to report that two of the prayers have been answered. Sunday as we knelt down together to pray over all the request I made sure to make them aware that God is listening to their prayers and two of them have already been answered. This brought huge smiles to their face; my son actually did a fist pump in the air and said YES!!! I wanted them to realize that we are not to only come to God with request and needs, but to thank Him for hearing, blessing and protecting us.
Because the board did get a little full my intent was to lay them in front of us and to say our prayers over them as a whole, but that didn't sit well with my oldest. She insisted that we still needed to call each person and prayer out individually, so she passed the slips out and we went around a circle taking turns and lifting them up in prayer. I have to say that my Father has blessed me with some truly compassionate, loving and thoughtful children. It blesses me to teach them His word and to know that not only are they listening, but they are applying it to their own little lives. They are thrilled to keep this going and can't wait to add more prayers for the new week.
Now…on to week two. It is very important to me that my children, my whole family in fact realize just how imperative it is to read God's word daily. This is how His word is written, or better put, etched on our hearts. Through reading and remembering His word we are better equipped to handle the enemy when he rears his ugly head. Doing this will also help us to learn and walk God's will for our lives. With that being said, we are going to read a daily devotional every day.
Now my oldest and I already do this, but it's time that we all do. You can never start a path with the Lord too early!! My goal is for them to read first thing in the morning since that is the best way to start our day, but if time does not permit on that occasional morning then they can read it when they get home from school. My prayer isn't for this to just become a routine that they grow used to, but instead that their spiritual eyes will be opened to what God is saying to them and walk in His light and that their Christian walk will reach out and touch others.
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