Romans 1:12 ‘When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.’
Kia Ora Bay Kids Whanau,
PRAYER RHYTHMS FOR OUR CHILDREN, OUR FAMILIES, AND OURSELVES
As the year finally gets properly underway, I’ve been thinking about my own personal Prayer Rhythms, and challenging myself in this area where I don’t always feel confident. Alongside this I’ve been re-visioning our Bay Kids rhythms too. So if you’re doing the same…
Here’s a Sunday School classic called the “5 Finger Prayer” (shared by Ian Simkins on Instagram, 28 January 2025).
We’ve used variations of this over the years in Bay Kids as it has an accessible form and is straightforward to teach and remember.
If you’re thinking about getting some family rhythms sorted now that school is back and things are feeling more settled, it’s a great on-ramp, albeit a little cheesy - but what’s not to love about cheese? After all, prayer is simply having a chat with God and this is an invitation to get us all started again when we don't know where to begin and when we’ve forgotten how to just be with God.
1. When you fold your hands, the thumb is nearest to you. Begin by praying for those closest to you, your loved ones - your family a. (Phil 1: 3 - 5)
2. The index finger is the “pointer finger.” Pray for those who lead, teach, create, write, and preach, who point people to God and His Kingdom - this could be the leaders and teachers in your Church a. (1 Thes 5: 25)
3. The next finger is the tallest. It reminds us to pray for those in authority - our local, regional, national, and global leaders, even bosses and managers - our Mayor and our Prime Minister, that they would serve and lead like Jesus a. (1 Tim 2: 1 - 2)
4. The fourth finger is usually the weakest. This is where we pray for those who are in trouble or who are suffering - those who are vulnerable, marginalized, sick, susceptible, or in danger - you might know someone who is sick at the moment or going through a tough time a. (James 5: 13 - 16)
5. Last is your little finger. It reminds us of our smallness in relation to God’s greatness. Take this little finger moment and ask Him to supply whatever you need - what do you need from God today?
The great thing about the shape of this prayer is that it can be adapted to be as complex or as simple as needed: One finger per day, covered over the week. Naming one specific person to your family in each category and praying for them. Reading the Bible Verse about each category and learning about all the ways we can experience prayer. Having the choice to choose what finger to focus on for prayer each night.
Creating a hand outline for the fridge with special people’s photos and names on it, and reminding ourselves to pray at meal times… whatever works easily and sustainably - this part is important, and whatever feels like a sense of ownership for our children and a time of praying together with our children - encouraging them towards their prayers, their words, and their ways of remembering. These small moments and attempts at moments set them up really well to be someone who values prayer, who sees it as accessible, and who learns to trust the God who loves them and hears them. And this is helpful for us too as parents, we’re all still on the same ‘prayer-learning’ journey ourselves; and even as big brave adults we constantly need reminding about trusting God, and communicating with him openly and relationally.
The cheesy 5 Finger Prayer is sneakily for us too - a robust model for trusting God and becoming confident in praying big prayers, especially when it comes to number 3 on the llist - praying for those in authority to serve and lead like Jesus - our local, regional, national, and global leaders, our bosses and managers, our Mayor and our Prime Minister.
When we don't understand what's going on in our world we’re encouraged to pray, when we’re frustrated with local or regional or national decisions, crises, and outcomes - we’re encouraged to pray… Except to be completely honest, I don’t always do that, it’s not my fluent default yet.
You may be similar to me, in that maybe you do it a little, or sometimes, but you're not yet reaching for it, modelling it, or enjoying it as part of your regular rhythms of prayer.
I find it to be true that we are good at understanding and using the HELP prayer, even brave enough at opening up to the SAD prayer, we can get behind the THANKS prayer, even the WOW prayer - all great starters for children too, by the way, but perhaps it could be that we ourselves are just not yet as comfortable with the regularity of other types of prayer…something to think about.
Teaching our children gives us a second chance at re-learning too. We get to learn together. So thank you for those gorgeous squishy hearted children of yours that keep me squishy too, may it be the same for you.
SPARKS
At our recent Bay Kids SPARKS Prayer Meeting we handed out these cards to remind ourselves of who we are as pray-ers. I talked through the imagery of being a warrior - being trained, being part of a group, being brave, knowing we’re not alone, and knowing the one who’s in charge. We can pray from a place of boldly knowing these truths…..
And knowing who I am praying to, I can be reassured that…
I am looking forward to our continued prayer journey in all our programmes across Bay Kids this year. I am always refreshed and encouraged when our children pray, especially when they delight in the freedom of prayer, and in doing so remind me that I am His Child and that it’s also OK for me to pray prayers that aren’t long or fancy as they will be heard.
I have been really enjoying this incredible Podcast Resource from 24-7 Prayer USA called Praying in Colour and would recommend it to you as you lean into widening your colour palette of prayer.
https://open.spotify.com/show/7DrJhTCz1vc6p0qvHRqA46?si=izb0acCTTqi6b4g6zfc9yg
Grace and Peace to you all,
Charlotte