In the News

There are many things in the news that need prayer – from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan to the unrest in the Middle East, rising costs of food and gasoline, and an unstable economy. That is enough to overwhelm most people. Fortunately we know that God is in control and that our prayers make a difference and can radically change some of these situations.

My question to you is do your children or the children you lead on a weekly basis have the same assurance? Many times children will catch on to these news stories and we don’t even realize it. They may hear it while you are listening to the news, they might read it on the internet or hear about it at school. Hopefully they will express any concerns they have but there are other times when they won’t for various reasons.

That is why intercession is an important principle to teach children. Intercession simply means standing in the gap for someone. There are people all over the world that are being effected by the things I mentioned above. Many of the people are children. If you can teach children to be intercessors they can gain that assurance that no matter what God is in control and when they begin to see the effects of their prayers faith will skyrocket.

Here are some simple ways to introduce prayer topics that you find in the news. Find out information about the area that has been effected. How many people live there? How many are kids? What is the spiritual situation like? Chose just one or two things to focus on. Find pictures to show them.

Children will respond as you share information. Be mindful of the age you are working with and keep the subject matter age appropriate but do not be afraid to share.  Several years ago we shared with a group of 4th, 5th and 6th graders about the AIDS epidemic in Africa and AIDS orphans. We focused on two countries; Botswana and Zimbabwe. After sharing the information the kids went to different prayer stations and prayed for what they had learned. The immediate result was an amazing time of intercession in God’s presence. The long term result is two girls who feel called to open and operate an AIDS orphanage in Africa and another boy who feels he should go to Africa to share the Good News.

Children are hungry to see a change in the world and are willing to help make that change happen. By sharing what is in the news and teaching them about intercession you will be giving them some vital tools for changing their world!