I wanted to share a little about how we encorporate children into our prayer meetings.  We welcome and encourage families with children to come to all of the prayer meetings.  The Prayer Room is a great place to train children to spend time with God while being bathed in His presence with worship and prayer.

We Encourage kids to bring their bible, journal, sketch pads, pencils and crayons and spend some time with God.  Around our house we put these items in backpacks or satchels and call them our prayer bags.  Prayer bags are extremely useful to train children to actively wait and listen to God.

We usually discourage them from bringing electronic games or mp3 players.   The reason behind that is the musicians and prayer leaders are trying to cultivate a place of prayer for everyone who comes even the smaller saints.   If we can keep their eyes and ears unobstructed by lesser things of entertainment it will provide the opportunity for God to get their attention.  Sometimes things are “caught” by children not necessarily “taught.”  I’ve seen it happen even with my youngest son at the age of three.  Once we visited a prayer room for no more than thirty minutes and the whole time he was completely into his coloring book.  When we left I asked my kids if God had said anything to them while in the prayer room.  The least expected, half potty-trained three year old spoke up right away and said, “God said, ‘Put a Fire on our Hearts.’ ”  Even if they had been singing those exact words it was now in him.  It was his, a gift from God to this tiny guy.   

Please, get rid of the notion that a prayer room or prayer meeting is no place for children.  The Psalm 84 says better is one day in His courts than a thousand elsewhere.  It’s the perfect place for training children.   It just means our time with them there is not about us it’s about training them to sit and wait on the Lord. It’s a discipline in which all of us could increase.  While we are there with them they become a visual reminder to pray for our high calling as parents as well.

So, we encourage you to come have some family time in the prayer room.

Robin