Prayer And Children

It’s never too early to encourage children in prayer. As the well-known proverb reads, “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). Moms and dads, I know parenting has its many challenges, but amidst all the busyness, try to create meaningful moments of prayer. It could be as simple as asking your child to pray during a family devotion, before meals or at bedtime. Before you know it, God is answering their faith-filled, childlike requests, and revealing Himself to both them and you. Keep in mind, a praying child will in the blink of an eye be a praying adult. They will thank you for the spiritual investment that helps them as they grow into adulthood and begin families of their own. Now that’s something to pray about!

WBNH Share 2024

Over the last few years, while working on Prayer Point, I’ve had the privilege of getting to know the staff at WBNH. Jim, Keith, Daniel and Carla—as well as the many volunteers—are not only wonderful people and fellow believers, but truly dedicated to the mission of bringing distinctly Christian radio to central Illinois. This week, during Share 2024, WBNH could use your support to continue this vital ministry—a ministry that is 100 percent listener-supported by folks just like you. Your financial contribution ensures that many thousands of people throughout central Illinois and beyond continue to hear about Jesus Christ. So be sure to call in, and thank you for supporting such an important ministry in our community. Now that’s something to pray about!

Family Reconciliation

One of the more painful requests I hear quite often as a prayer ministry leader is for difficult marriage and family situations. Few things in life are more painful than when loved ones aren’t speaking, or there just seems to be no way to mend the broken family ties. As you’re listening to this Prayer Point, a difficult family situation may even come to mind. Let me encourage you to pray for it today. Just one humble prayer for healing, just one prayer of forgiveness may begin to move the hand of God to change what previously could never have been changed. No matter how difficult, never give up praying for your family or loved ones. God loves to reconcile and restore impossible situations. Now that’s something to pray about!

J. I. Packer On Prayer

Have you ever thought that your prayers just aren’t worded good enough to really hit the mark? Do feelings of not praying good enough nag at you? No matter how long we’ve been working on our prayer life, these kinds of thoughts and feelings can show up from time to time. The late theologian J. I. Packer, along with Carolyn Nystrom, wrote a helpful insight along these lines saying this: “God fixes our prayers on the way up. If he does not answer the prayer we made, he will answer the prayer we should have made. That is all anyone needs to know.” Friend, don’t worry if you don’t have all the right words. Pray sincerely from your heart, and be confident that when you do, God fixes them on the way up. Now that’s something to pray about!

Lord, Change Me

It’s so tempting to go to the place of prayer and try to convince God to change everyone else. If only everyone else could be more like Jesus, life would be much more enjoyable. As I’ve walked with God for the last 25 years, He likes to turn that prayer around more often than not. “Ask Me to change you,” He whispers. Time and again I’ve had to surrender to His wisdom, and acknowledge that He is more interested in changing me than everyone else. Perhaps you’re in a similar situation, and your prayers sound like mine have before. Let me encourage you to focus your prayers on “Lord, change me!” instead of “Lord, change them!” What has amazed me is how much really changes if I left Him start with me. Now that’s something to pray about!