Thank you for joining us in our Praying for the Next Generation challenge over the past week. We hope that this time of praying through Scripture has been an encouragement to you as you have sought God's guidance on how to build a spiritual foundation for your family and have prayed for God's redeeming work in your children's lives. As this 10-day challenge comes to a close, may this be the continuation of treasuring God's Word as you come before our Father on behalf of your children and the coming generations.
Here are some resources to help you integrate prayer into different areas of your life, both at church and at home, and to help you teach your children about prayer.
A Sure Foundation Nursery Curriculum
For churches The verses and designs from this challenge are an element of our newly refreshed and expanded A Sure Foundation: A Philosophy and Curriculum for Ministry to Infants and Toddlers. It is designed to help you transform your ministry to infants and toddlers into an integral beginning—a place of prayer for young children, a place where they hear foundational Bible stories, and a place where children learn simple truth statements and begin to memorize Scripture as they form their language skills. Emphasis is placed on creating an environment of prayer for babies and strategically praying for each infant and toddler by name each time they are in your care.
Praying for the Next Generation Booklet
For parents, grandparents, pastors and children's ministry leaders and volunteers What kind of legacy do you want to leave for your children? Through your faithful prayers, you can leave a spiritual inheritance. Praying for the Next Generation will equip you with a method for using Scripture to pray for your children, grandchildren, or the children in your church. It includes 12 specific prayer topics for children with verses to pray through for each topic.
Utter Dependence on God, Through Prayer Booklet
For pastors and children's ministry leaders and volunteers The first part of Utter Dependency on God, Through Prayer is primarily directed to adults for their growth in the faith. The second part provides practical guidance to those who lead children in prayer—primarily in the classroom, but also in the living room. Eleven strategies for integrating prayer into your interactions with children will serve as a springboard for creative and visionary thought as you meditate upon Scripture, seeking God with all of your heart, through prayer.
Lord, Teach us to Pray Intergenerational Curriculum
For families, small groups or Sunday school classes The purpose of prayer is not to change God, but to change the person praying. Through prayer, God reveals our sinful hearts, makes His will known, discloses His kingdom purposes, and reveals Himself to His children. True prayer is getting to know God better. When Jesus responded to the disciples' request to teach them to pray. He gave them the Lord's Prayer as a model. In it, Jesus shows us what should be in the believer's heart when he comes to his Heavenly Father in prayer. Lord, Teach Us To Pray is not about the correct formula for prayer—it's about God's children learning to fellowship with Him in prayer. Lord, Teach Us To Pray is a 13-week, intergenerational study for families on prayer. The full study is great for summer Sunday school classes and family small groups or families can go through the Family Devotional Guide together.
Praying for the Next Generation and Your Volunteers Seminar
For children's ministry leader and volunteers, parents and pastors In this seminar, Kristin Gilbert discusses some of the obstacles we face that prevent us from having a fervent prayer life such as wandering minds, fear, laziness and busyness. She equips you with practical steps to fight these obstacles and encourages you to pray through specific areas of your children’s ministry as she shares testimonies of answered prayers in her church.
Take the challenge. Intentionally pray through a passage of scripture for your children and the next generation each day for 10 days!
Day 1: Psalm 1 Day 2: John 1:12-13 Day 3: Psalm 119:10-11 Day 4: Proverbs 4:20-27 Day 5: John 15:5 Day 6: Psalm 119:33-39 Day 7: Philippians 4:8 Day 8: Colossians 3:1-2 Day 9: Proverbs 6:20-23 Day 10: Psalm 63:1-4
