The Circle Prayer

Prayer is not something that necessarily comes naturally or even easily for a lot of people. Many children, especially, not only have to be taught that they should pray, but how to do it and for what things. Otherwise, their prayers tend to be rather self-focused and narrow in scope.

My husband drew out a diagram for each child as they were growing up that they could tape to their bedroom wall, door or dresser mirror as a reminder of how and what to pray for. It consisted of several concentric circles, each ring signifying another level for the child to center their prayers on. They would start in the middle and work their way out, praying for both individuals and groups of people as they went. When they were very young and couldn’t read yet, we included pictures for each circle.

It’s very simplistic, but a good way to teach that our prayers are not to be totally self-centered, that there’s a world of people in need of our prayers, including right in our very own family. As the children got older, we explained that the first person who should be mentioned in our prayers is God as we express our love, gratitude and devotion to Him for all He has blessed us with. And frankly, He should also be the last person we mention in our prayers.

If you’re trying to teach your child to pray and how to do it, consider making a copy of the diagram or draw one yourself. It’s a very easy tool to use in bringing your child closer in relationship with the Lord.

Do you know of someone who would be encouraged by the helpful tips here at TGMT? Please email a link to the site to them and let them know!

Related Articles:
What Do We Teach Our Children To Pray For? Part 1
What Do We Teach Our Children To Pray For? Part 2
What Do We Teach Our Children To Pray For? Part 3