Prayer Warriors

"The person who belongs to Christ turns everything into prayer" - Elder Porphyrios

The question of today's post is:

How can we form our children to become Prayer Warriors?

Elder Porphyrios approaches the subject by saying, "The children should learn to pray. And in order for children to pray they must have in them the blood of praying parents... It is not sufficient for the parents to be devout. They mustn't oppress the children to make them good by force. We may repel our children from Christ when we pursue the things of our religion with egotism... The secret is to be good and saintly and to inspire and radiate. The life of the children seems to be affected by the radiation of their parents."

I've found these 3 things can make a big difference-

1. Be consistent with prayer times
2. Get the kids involved
3. Show them first, then allow them to imitate you

Also, a project that can be very meaningful is to try a "Family Prayer List" which will offer the children the opportunity to pray for others. This could be as simple as a piece of paper, or you could enjoy decorating and creating something more elaborate with small icons and symbols. Each evening ask the children to add first names only of the people they want to pray for. As Orthodox, you can even include the souls who have reposed on a separate list.

Through this small gesture, we allow God the room to work in their hearts so that our kids come to understand the importance of praying for others more than for themselves. The power of prayer is great, very great, especially when done by many together. Do you remember the freeing of St Peter the Apostle from prison when prayer was made by the Church without ceasing? (Acts 12:5)

Elder Porphyrios said "it is preferable for us to help people from a distance with prayer, because in this way, we help them in the best and most perfect manner."

This post was prompted by the current conflicts in Georgia, Russia, and Serbia where Orthodox Christians, Churches, and Monasteries are being destroyed. Although we may be geographically far from these countries, they must be included on our family prayer lists!

Please don't hesitate to share other ideas for developing "Prayer Warriors"