Answering your child's questions: What’s the point of praying? Because God is all knowing

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If you’re parenting a pre-teen like I am, then in the midst of all their hormonal lethargy, you’ve probably heard this question… “What’s the point?”

What’s the point in putting my clothes in the drawer? I’m just going to wear them anyway.
What’s the point of sending a thank you card? It’s just going to go in the recycling.
What’s the point in tidying my room? It’s just going to get messy again.

You can probably add plenty more of your own! Our children are living in a demanding culture where waiting even just 30 seconds for the microwave to ping is a painstaking interruption to their fast-paced, instant-results world and short attention spans. Waiting is hard! And working hard is even harder. With more children dreaming of becoming YouTubers than astronauts nowadays, it’s hardly surprising that the hidden place of prayer isn’t a priority in their entertainment-driven lives.

what is the point of getting our kids to turn their screens off and sit in ‘boredom,’ telling God about stuff he already knows?

If your child has been paying attention in church, then they probably know that one of the things that makes God God—what makes him different from us—is his omniscience. He is all-knowing. And if he already knows, then what is the point of praying? Have you heard that one?

Let’s be honest—they kind of make a good point! King David explains, “Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely” (Psalm 139:4). So really, what is the point of getting our kids to turn their screens off and sit in ‘boredom,’ telling God about stuff he already knows?

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