When I talk about children praying, I am also talking about me, as an adult praying like a child. Prayer is encouraged and taught by example. When I see and hear others pray, it becomes part of my natural experience and it becomes important in my life. When I know that thankfulness blesses the heart of God, I become more thankful. Even showcasing the importance of praying in silence matters.

As the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, we are taught to teach others, especially children, to pray.

“Israel, remember this! The Lord—and the Lord alone—is our God.^[a] Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Never forget these commands that I am giving you today. Teach them to your children. Repeat them when you are at home and when you are away, when you are resting and when you are working. – Deuteronomy 6:4-7 GNT

Prayer is not awkward when our minds are filled with the things of God.

And so the fourth longest prayer recorded in the Bible has David calling out to his Father.

He will say to me,
    ‘You are my father and my God;
    you are my protector and savior.’ – Psalm 89:26 GNT

Jesus loved calling out to His Father. God had one Son and He was without sin, and this Son lived with prayer.

The Psalm concludes like this…

Praise the Lord forever! – Psalm 89:52 GNT

“He ends where he began; he has sailed round the world and reached port again. Let us bless God before we pray, and while we pray, and when we have done praying, for he always deserves it of us.”  – Spurgeon

Like a child, I have had prayer seem dull, I get distracted and find it difficult to pray more than five minutes. Then I get annoyed and feel guilty because prayer is my way of getting to know God.

When I pray, I am talking to God. So when I feel like I am getting distracted, reading portions of scripture like this one helps me pray realizing that I have access to this powerful God.

Surrounding the throne on each of its sides, were four living creatures covered with eyes in front and behind. The first one looked like a lion; the second looked like a bull; the third had a face like a human face; and the fourth looked like an eagle in flight. Each one of the four living creatures had six wings, and they were covered with eyes, inside and out. Day and night they never stop singing:

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
    who was, who is, and who is to come.”

The four living creatures sing songs of glory and honor and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever. When they do so, the twenty-four elders fall down before the one who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives forever and ever. They throw their crowns down in front of the throne and say,

“Our Lord and God! You are worthy
    to receive glory, honor, and power.
For you created all things,
    and by your will they were given existence and life.” – Revelation 4:6-11 GNT

This is the God I get to pray to.

This begins to reshape my focus and fills me with a desire to pray. It matters because my prayer life is one of the most important parts of my life.

“We can meditate on this until our hearts are hot with assurance. Look at him loving you; dying for you; rejoicing in you and singing over you. Look at all that and he will be a delight to you. Then the law will be a delight to you and you will be like a tree planted by streams of water. You’ll bear your fruit in season and no matter what happens, your leaf will not wither.” – Timothy Keller