Teaching the Lord's Prayer to our kids

(Wikimedia Commons/Walters Art Museum)"Interior With Woman Teaching Child to Pray" by painter Pierre Édouard Frère (1819–1886).

God tells us in Proverbs 22:6 to "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." Here, God is instructing parents to rear their children in the right way to become responsible and productive citizens. Above all, they should grow up as good Christians willing to serve Him.

Such an ideal notion begins with training the child early on to have fear of the Lord. And one of the best tools to teach a child to become an effective follower of Christ is prayer. As we all know, we communicate with God through prayer. The more we pray, the closer we are drawn to Him.

Teach your kids the habit of praying. Most parents, however, do not know how to go about this. "What should my child pray for?" they would ask. You do not have to look far as we can draw a lesson from Matthew 6:9-13 where Jesus taught his disciples how to pray.

This passage in the Bible has famously been known as the Lord's Prayer. However, beyond memorizing it, children should know that it is a guide on how they should pray. This requires explaining to them every verse so they will know what to pray for.

9 "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,"
Your child should open up his/her prayer by proclaiming God's greatness.

10 "your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
This is a declaration by your child that he/she is allowing God to take control of his/her life.

11 "Give us today our daily bread."
Let your child thank God for all the blessings your family is enjoying. Let him/her pray for his/her parents' work so they may be able to continue providing for the family. Remind him/her also to pray for the needy and the sick.

12 "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."
Tell your child to ask God's forgiveness for whatever wrongdoings he/she did during the day, with the promise that it won't be repeated. He/she should also be ready to forgive those that offended him/her.

13 "And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil."
Explain to your child that only God can give him/her the strength to resist wrongdoing if he/she asks for it. Tell your child to ask God's protection from harm and evil.

Prayer will come naturally for your child once he/she develops the habit. Chances are, he/she may skip the phase of relying on an imaginary friend for companionship and would prefer to talk to God instead even during playtime. As for us parents, we can look forward to the time when God will tell us, "Well done, my good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21).

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