Praying for Others
Children are just as equipped as adults to spiritually impact their neighborhoods and cities. In prayer, they learn to discern the voice of the Lord for things bigger than themselves when they use all of their senses. We like to call these “prophetic actions” or “action prayers”, and we have found that kids begin to fall in love with prayer times when we think outside the box in this way.
Here are a few of the creative things some of our staff have done to help children creatively engage with God:
1. Break Every Chain
Make paper chains. Write specific areas where strongholds* over your city on the chains. Sing “Break Every Chain” and watch the confetti fly everywhere as the Lord releases freedom in the room through their action prayers.
2. Photo Collage
Let the children take photos of your neighborhood, seeing the city through their eyes. Make a collage. Ask the Lord to show you the streets through his lenses.
3. Building with Legos
Ask the Lord for insight into where the enemy has “castles” or strongholds* in your neighborhood. Build them on a map with Legos. March around with worship. The funnest part of this prayer is destroying the enemy’s camp, and, believe me, this is not just play. Expect to see a shift in the spiritual atmosphere after these powerful prayers from your children.
4. Painting in Worship
Rest in the Lord’s presence with worship music. Ask Jesus for a picture of what he wants to release over your family or your city. Let the children paint what they see or hear from the Lord as you continue to worship. These paintings will be like artistic declarations of what God is speaking. Hang them in the children’s rooms or in your church. Encourage them that if they think “Amen, Lord,” or “Let it be, Lord” when they look at the painting, that they are continuing to agree with what the Lord is bringing forth.
These activities appeal to the imaginations of children, but they also appeal to us, don’t they? If you’re brave enough to engage your childlike nature, try some of these exercises on your own or with a trusted community. You will be surprised and amazed at how creatively God wants to interact with you, and how much more of him you can experience when you enter in.
So play around. Experiment! Whether it’s at home, at church, with kids or without, we hope will know more deeply the heart of God and his loving heart for the kids around you.
*Strongholds are areas, geographical or spiritual, where the enemy holds particular control or power in your city. An example of this could be areas of the city that feel especially dark or without the truth of Jesus, or spirits that heighten inhabitants’ sense of scarcity, confusion, hopelessness, greed, power, etc.
Read Part 1: Engaging the Imagination
Read Part 2: Four Creative Ways to Pray
ABOUT
This series has been prepared by Alice Collier, who lives and serves in Phnom Penh, Cambodia with her husband and three young children. Alice’s passion is to see children of all ages and backgrounds reconnected with the deep love of their Heavenly Father.