When I was a little girl, I used to say the same prayer every night. It started with “Now I lay me down to sleep” and it ended with a sleepy “Amen.”
It was a good way for me to learn about the practice of prayer, but soon I found myself saying the words without thinking. The same thing happened when I grew older and learned the Lord’s Prayer. Those beautiful, powerful words of Jesus became something I am ashamed to say I said with little thought.
Has that ever happened to you? Your prayers feel like they start to lose weight and emotion? Then I’m here to help you shake things up, specifically as you pray for children in poverty!
Here are four creative and new prayers for the child you sponsor to help you deepen your talks with God!
1. Give Yourself a Reminder
There’s a jingle bell in my car that rings when I make a turn (or am driving in particularly crazy traffic). And with each ring, I lift up a quick prayer for Bilha, the little girl I sponsor in Guatemala. That happy little sound reminds me to pray for her happiness. I ask God to give her joy at that moment, and that brings a smile to my face too. Even if the traffic is crazy.
2. Take a Prayer Walk
The next time you decide to go out for a walk, turn it into a prayer walk, both for the child you sponsor, as well as other children in poverty. When you pass a house with puffs of smoke coming out of the chimney, pray for your child’s home and safety. If you walk by children playing in the yard, pray for your child’s friendships. When you walk by a school, pray for his or her education. The possibilities are only limited by the length of your walk!
3. Pray about the News
When you hear a news report about something happening in another country, will you lift up a prayer for the people living there? Pray for those suffering during natural disasters. Pray for children who are surrounded by war and violence. Your own local news can remind you to pray too – a weather report is a good time to pray that the children Compassion serves will have warm, dry homes to protect them from the elements.
4. Pray Over Your Letters
The next time you write a letter, will you say a prayer before you seal the envelope, or click send? Pray that your words will be received at the exact right time. That your letter will be placed in your child’s hands when he or she needs to hear your words the most. Your letters are such a powerful instrument of hope – tuck a little prayer into your next note.
But however you pray, we can’t thank you enough for doing it!
And why not join others who are praying to release kids from poverty?
Do you have any fun ideas of how you can remind yourself to pray for the child you sponsor? Share it in the comments!
