A Night of Prayer

Tonight at church we had an Intercessory Prayer Night for families. It was such a neat way to get families together, praying for one another and others. 

There were 6 stations set up around the sanctuary. At the first station the kids were to pray and ask God to speak to them and give them an idea to draw on their canvases. Dylan drew a big smiley face and wrote, "God will never let you down." Evan drew a very detailed picture of Jesus on the cross. I asked him what made him draw that picture and he said, "This is the price Jesus paid for us!" I loved watching them pray and then draw what God brought to their minds.

The second station we went to had a large map. The kids used sticky hands to pick a country somewhere around the world to pray for. Tyson picked China. So, together, we prayed for the Chinese people to learn about Jesus and give their lives to Him. We prayed that they might have warm homes and plenty of food to eat. We also prayed that they would treat one another with kindness. The older boys each picked their own locations and we prayed for those as well.

Our third station was the "Breakthrough Wall." The kids were to think about some area of their lives where they could use a break through and write it on the wall. Then families prayed together about those specific things. I won't share what my kiddos wrote specifically but I will say, it is a sweet thing to hear them express the things they've been thinking and praying about. It was a honor to pray with them about those things.

Our next station involved a prayer quilt for a sweet Mom of 2 at our church that is currently undergoing cancer treatments. The quilt had many ties left untied. As we each tied one, we prayed for God to heal her body, give her peace, bless her family, and flood their home with His presence.

Another station involved asking God for encouraging words to write on slips of paper. These papers will be placed in baskets around the church so when someone needs encouragement, they can pull out a slip of paper. I loved the words of encouragement our boys wrote. Evan's said, "God will give you the courage you need." Dylan's said, "You are worth it. God sent His Son to die for YOU." Wow, those are very encouraging words! I'm so proud of them for listening and writing what they felt God told them!

At our last station we were building a Gratitude Tower. The kids wrote with dry erase markers on blocks to make a tower of things they are grateful for. My boys wrote family, mom, dad, love, and home. We were to thank God for the blessings He has given us.

Even Allison had a fun time praying! 

Today I am incredibly grateful to be a part of a church family that provides space for us to pray together as families. We pray at home all the time but these activities made it fun for the kids and helped us branch out and pray for things we might not normally think of. I am also grateful for a special evening as a family. I enjoyed hearing my boys pray and I was amazed at what they felt God saying to them. It's easy for me to understand why Jesus encouraged his followers in Matthew chapter 8 to have faith like children!