Sparks For Kids 101
Fire can burst from just one spark. This podcast is intended for busy parents to be used with your child and followed with genuine conversation to allow God to create a spark. In this discussion I share a scripture followed by practical questions and application.
Sparks For Kids 101
Nurturing Your Child's Spiritual Connection Through Authentic Prayer
Prayer is where trust in God takes root and flourishes in our children's hearts. As parents and grandparents, we have the beautiful opportunity to nurture this connection, but only if we understand what meaningful prayer truly involves.
Contrary to what many believe, prayer isn't about following rigid routines or reciting formulaic words. The prayer that transforms young hearts is real, honest, and connected—whether standing, kneeling, eyes open or closed. What matters is authenticity. When children witness and participate in genuine conversation with God, remarkable growth happens.
Through prayer, children develop gratitude as they regularly hear expressions of thankfulness. In a culture increasingly prone to entitlement, these moments—even simple mealtime prayers—teach them to recognize and appreciate blessings. They also discover that God is truly approachable, not some distant figure, but someone who listens and cares about their everyday concerns. Perhaps most importantly, prayer cultivates a healthy dependence on God that will serve them throughout life's challenges.
The key insight for parents? We must not only pray for our children but with them. Our example speaks volumes—if we don't model trust in God, they'll never truly believe it themselves. Try asking your child, "What do you want to talk to God about today?" Their response might surprise you and open doors to deeper spiritual connection. This simple shift in approach could transform not just their relationship with God, but your entire family dynamic.
Hello and welcome back to the Only Takes a Spark podcast with Pastor Mike Just wanted to continue a conversation we started last time, in the last episode, on how we can help our kids begin to trust God, and today I want to talk about prayer. Prayer is where trust grows in our children. You see, prayer is not meant to be some kind of routine or a specific way in which we talk to God, but it is to be real, it is to be honest, it's to be connected with God, and whether you're standing, whether you're praying with your eyes open, kneeling on the ground, Whether you're praying with your eyes open, kneeling on the ground beside your bed or in a chair or in a prayer closet of sort, as long as it is real and honest, then that's exactly the kind of conversation that the Lord is looking for in our children, and as parents and grandparents, we must model this before our children and our grandchildren. You see, when kids pray, they grow in gratitude, they begin to hear words like we're thankful for and we thank you, Lord, for this and we thank you for that. And even when it comes to praying for our meals, we talk to the Lord and we thank him for a meal. The children need to learn gratitude, and I don't know of a better time in a better time and culture than right now to make sure our children continue to understand gratitude.
Speaker 1:Next, they also learn that God is approachable. He's not just some kind of fictitious being sitting on a throne in a place that we can never reach, but he is someone that listens and cares and someone that we can approach with our issues and with our problems and with our needs. And they also kids through prayer, will develop a habit of depending on him. Through prayer will develop a habit of depending on him. Moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas, we again must ourselves lead by example and show our children and their grandchildren what trusting God is and how to depend on him. If we don't model it, they will never believe it and they will not also follow in those footsteps. So try this Instead of just praying for your kids, instead of just you praying for your kids, pray with them. Ask what do you want to talk to God about today? You might be surprised what they might say. Until next time, God bless you. Have a great day.