In the second article of her series on prayer Becky Peacock explains why God’s omniscience is key to helping our children understand how and why to pray
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?
Prayer is about relationship, not information
I’ll let you in on one of my parenting secrets. My kids’ school often shares photos or updates throughout the day so parents can see how exciting their child’s education really is. My kids don’t know about this. When I ask them on the walk home how school was, I already have some insider knowledge! Sometimes they’re forthcoming with what happened, but more often it takes some work to get them chatting. I find it helps to drop in some of that insider knowledge: “It looked like you and Mark were working on something cool in the yellow room—what was that?” The look on their faces each time is priceless. “HOW DID YOU KNOW?!” (Okay, so I’m less proud of this bit, but I’ve convinced them that we have secret cameras.)
The point is that even though I already know what they did at school, I want them to tell me—not because I’m gathering facts but because I enjoy chatting with them. I know what they did, but I want to hear it from them—how it felt, what they thought, what made them laugh. When we come to God in prayer, we are not simply downloading an update of our day for him to file away. We are sharing our lives with him.
if we help them approach prayer with the attitude of spending quality time with God, then whether he already knows isn’t the focus
Instead of his omniscience hindering our words, it becomes a comfort—for the moments when our words are insufficient, or our stories are embarrassing, or our feelings are too overwhelming. God is omniscient—we don’t need to pretend he’s not! We can help our kids see why that is a good thing, and why it helps us to pray.
We’ve all got stories of friends we were once so close to, doing daily life together, but have somehow drifted apart. I can’t speak to your stories, but I know that for mine, it has always been due to a lack of communication. Talking—even about nothing of great significance—draws us together and grows a fondness as we listen and share our hearts. When you take that communication away, the relationship begins to suffer.
I desperately want to grow closer to my children and keep that relationship strong. So I get them chatting with me about anything at all, and I listen. I share my heart with them too—tell them about my day and my feelings—and they listen as well. This is how we grow together.
It’s the same with God. How much more does our Father in heaven want to listen and spend time with us? What more significant relationship could we help our children foster than one with their Heavenly Father? It’s important that we help our children recognise that prayer is about speaking and listening—God wants to share his heart with them too.
Read more:
What’s the point of praying? Because God is all powerful
Why didn’t God answer my prayer?
Ten fun Bible and prayer activities to do outside
Today’s children are immersed in an immediate culture of entertainment. They’re used to getting instant gratification from games, fast and catchy content on YouTube Shorts, and they’re frustrated by constant ads disrupting and wasting their time. However, in the midst of this consumerist lifestyle, there is one thing that will almost always trump entertainment—and that’s quality time.
If you offer to kick a ball with your son, take them to the park, or go for a milkshake together… if you sit with them and ask about their world, giving them your undivided attention, then 9 times out of 10, your child will lay their screen aside and jump at the opportunity for some quality time with you. Our children are thirsty for time with people who love them, care about them, and are interested in their lives.
Even on our best days, we as parents are only a shadow of their Heavenly Father who loves, cares, and invests in them perfectly.
Quality time with God takes practice, and catching God’s heart takes discipline. It is counter-cultural for our children—they are dual-screeners, they are rarely still, they are doers and fidgeters, their minds move quickly, and their attention spans are short. But you can help them: show them how you spend time with God. Let them in when you’re worshipping. Show them how to chat with him normally, how to recognise his voice on the go, and how to enjoy his presence daily.
Help reframe for your kids that prayer isn’t a boring, unnecessary report—it’s the ultimate fulfilment of the quality time they were created to crave.
When our children perceive prayer as a time to update the omniscient God on what’s been happening, then of course it feels like a waste of time! But if we help them approach prayer with the attitude of spending quality time with God, then whether he already knows isn’t the focus. God knows. And that’s a good thing.
