Baby Prayers

Interesting discussion today~

Is rote prayer something we should teach our children? You know the traditional "Now I lay me down to sleep" or even the Lord's Prayer.

This came about as I folded Allen's little arms and whispered for him "Now I fold my hands and say Thank you God for my lunch today." My companion is convinced that Matthew 6 forbids rote prayer. Yet it is in Matthew 6 that we are given the traditional Lord's Prayer.

The difference of interpretation over what Jesus was saying is rather interesting.

Although my heart believes that we have been called to pray through the spirit, I also believe that in the very young in age or Christian walk, the rote prayer has a place.

I may be wrong and may have to answer for it at some point~ however for now I will continue to teach my little guy rote prayers. Confident that my little guy is learning at this very young age how to communicate with God.

I equate the rote prayers I am teaching my son with his learning to talk. When I talk to him, there are words that I repeat over and over and over to him. For instance, we see a

dog. I tell him "Look Allen, it is a dog. Allen, do you see the dog?" Usually at this point he is squealing or babbling. So I reinforce his early use of language and say "Yes, it is a dog." He and I may continue a conversation about the dog, talking about the dogs ears or nose or if it is big or small. In every sentence that I use with him talking about the dog, I make sure I say dog.

His little mind is making the neurological connections for the visual with spoken word. Soon he will be saying dog and know what a dog is.

In this same way, saying an easy rote prayer at meal time like "Now I fold my hands and say, Thank You God for my lunch today."

Allen is learning to say a blessing before he eats each meal. We are also using that particular prayer because it tells him to be reverent, by folding his hands. In time, Allen will learn to ask

his own unique blessing on his meals. Be it a simple "Thank You" or if he goes into a longer prayer to thank the hands that grew it, the hands that prepared it into a meal, bless it to our bodies and so on.

It all starts with the humble beginnings of the rote prayer.