Prayer – Page 7 – Parenting Like Hannah

Teaching Kids to Wait For God

Teaching Kids to wait For God - parenting like hannah Our world is a fast paced world. Kids are exposed to rapidly changing technology, images and an over scheduled lifestyle. It’s no wonder when God tells them to wait for something, they become impatient. Why not help God a bit? After all, surely God wants your children to have everything they want. Since He’s obviously busy, your kids can just start pushing things in the direction they are sure God would want – towards their desire.

Unfortunately, this line of thinking and action rarely ends well. You only have to remember the Abraham, Sarah and Hagar triangle to see what a mess rushing God can create. Not only did the three of them suffer all sorts of consequences for trying to rush God, but the repercussions continued for many generations and some would argue even until today.

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Praying For Your Son

Praying For Your Son - Parenting Like Hannah Normally, I am not a huge fan of scripted prayers. I know the Holy Spirit provides the words I may not have and I tend to trust the process of prayer. Sometimes though, I believe parents want to feel more organized in their prayers. Even though they may firmly believe the Holy Spirit is providing words, on some level they want to be able to think clearly about what concerns them.

Rob & Joanna Tiegen have already published a book of prayers for daughters. Their latest A Mom’s Prayers for Her Son: Praying for Every Part of His Life is a parent’s companion for understanding how to best pray for her son. The book contains seventy-seven prayers covering a wide range of subjects.

Within each prayer, the authors give several verses of scripture they believe address the topic. The prayer is written as much as a way to direct a parent’s thinking as it is to help the parent pray. While not “preachy”, the prayers do make a point of teaching parents how the authors believe God would want them to address certain topics.

Perhaps the most encouraging parts of the book are the personal stories of various mothers and sons. Many are written by mothers whose sons struggled very badly in one or more areas. The accounts are honest about the struggles and the prayers. I especially appreciated the fact that the authors of each of the accounts made it clear God does not always supply an immediate “yes” to our prayers. They often shared that sometimes it may take years for us to see the “yes” God provided.

I don’t have a son, but if I did, I think I would find this book helpful and encouraging. If nothing else, it helps you understand your son is not the only one struggling with some of these issues. Whether you read this book or not, I hope you are encouraged to pray often and specifically for your son. It can make an enormous difference in his life.

A copy of this book was provided to me for free in exchange for my honest review. I do not have a son, but plan to share this book with a friend who does.

Great Prayer Craft

Great Prayer Craft - Parenting Like Hannah Kids love secrets. There is something fun about a little mystery in life. That’s probably why detective series have been hits in children’s literature for decades. What if you could encourage your child’s prayer life by helping them make a “secret” place for their prayers?

This is a really simple craft, yet it kept a group of five to ten year olds engaged for a long period of time. You need a used mint container (preferably the metal ones) for each child. If you are doing this with a large group, we were able to find a company that sold unused tins for less than a dollar each. You will also need scrap pretty papers (scrapbooking paper, gift wrap, etc.), scraps of lace, ribbon, rick rack and/or fabric, golf pencils (if you don’t know golfers, office supply stores sell these by the gross), glue, scissors and markers.

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Creative Ways to Remind Kids to Pray Without Ceasing

Creative Ways to Remind Kids to Pray Without Ceasing - Parenting Like Hannah Christian parents are usually the most consistent at teaching children to pray. Meals and bedtime are great markers to remind kids to talk to God. What we are not as great at doing is teaching our children to pray without ceasing. Let’s be honest. We sometimes have a hard time doing that ourselves. We mean well, but then life gets busy and suddenly we realize it has been days since we last had a meaningful prayer time with God.

Remember the old trick of tying a string around your finger to help you remember something important? Well, here are some creative ways to help you and your kids remember to pray without ceasing.

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Dads Praying For Their Daughters

Dads often get a bad rap, especially on television. If a dad is even present, he is often portrayed as stupid, uninvolved and totally clueless about his children and their lives. If a television dad should have a daughter, the dad is obviously uncomfortable even talking with her. The idea of being actively involved in her life would never occur to him.

Dads have such an impactful relationship with their daughters. Much of how a girl feels about her appearance, the men she chooses to date and more are often a reflection of her relationship with her father. Many dads are aware of this and spend time cultivating great relationships with their daughters.

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