When our family first moved to a little fishing town at the corner of the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean, I was concerned about finding a house, the logistics of moving our worldly goods over a mountain range, and the emotional impact on my young teens leaving the only home they’d ever known.
It wasn’t until we’d unpacked the last box that I realized forming relationships while homeschooling an 8th and 9th grader was going to be a lot harder than making friends at the park with preschoolers in tow. My kids were older now. There would be no playdates to be arranged and no small talk with other moms while watching our kids scale the play structure.
Although new to the area, I wouldn’t say that joining a Moms in Prayer group was an act of desperation, exactly. I care about praying for our kids and our community a lot and I love the idea of praying with others on a weekly basis.
I joined a Moms in Prayer group because I saw the deep spiritual need surrounding me and praying with other women was an excellent way to bring that need before the King of the Universe.
Making friends was an accidental byproduct of praying for our town and for the kids around us. As we met in my home each week, our small group prayed for each child in our kids’ high school grade by name. We prayed for the teachers, the staff, the board members, and the parents. Each week, I found the Lord rooting my heart to His, this place, and its people, just a little more. I also noticed God binding our moms’ hearts to one another.
I’m not the only one who has had this experience. My friend and fellow Moms in Prayer member, Carla Moha, says, “Moms in Prayer has been such a blessing in my life! It has helped me overcome some of my struggles in knowing how or even who to pray for. Praying for our kids together has created friendships and a valuable support system that I am so very thankful for.”
The Four Steps of Prayer—praising God for who He is, confessing my sins against Him, thanking Him for his provision and goodness, and appealing to Him in intercession—has helped deepen and enrich my prayer life.
We want our kids to know this intimate friendship with Jesus, as well, don’t we?
After all, isn’t that what we truly long for—that our kids will know and love the Creator of All Things?
We desire their salvation more than anything in this life.
In my book, Help Your Kids Learn and Love the Bible (Bethany House, 2021), I have included a chapter about praying the Word together with our kids. If praying to the Lord of Heaven and Earth with a small group of women binds our hearts to each other, to those we pray for, and to our God, consider the benefit of praying with our kids in a similar manner. As our kids learn to praise Jesus and to bring their concerns before him, their hearts will become knit together with you and your spouse. They will learn to trust God as their Heavenly Father—the one who loves them.
“ACTS is an easy-to-remember order of prayer. Rather than being constrictive or formulaic, the acrostic reminder is a good way for your kids to learn how to pray. Consider making a colorful poster or flip chart with your children as a reminder of how we want to approach the Creator of the World.”— Help Your Kids Learn and Love the Bible, page 160
Teaching our kids to pray the ACTS model, similar to the Moms in Prayer format, can help them develop a healthy prayer foundation that will last a lifetime. Along with the knowledge and love of God’s Word, the foundation of prayer is one of the best gifts we can give to our children.
Only God can transform our children with hearts that love Him.
Our part is to lead our kids to our King in Scripture and in prayer. Truly, it is our greatest joy and calling.
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Danika Cooley leads a Moms in Prayer group on the coast of Oregon. She and her husband, Ed, are committed to leading their four children to God through his Word. Danika is an award-winning children’s author and Bible curriculum developer. Weekly, she encourages tens of thousands of parents to intentionally raise biblically literate children. Danika’s book, Help Your Kids Learn and Love the Bible, is a crash course in teaching the Bible to your kids. Sally Burke, President of Moms in Prayer International, says, “In this book, you will find the tools you need to begin blessing your children with the greatest gift possible, His Word. I love the humor, the stories, the examples, and the truths that Danika shares.”