Teaching the Young to Pray
Last year, my husband and I were putting our three-year-old to bed when she mentioned that she was afraid to go to sleep. When pressed, Katie shared that she had been experiencing a recurring nightmare about a “man of fire” who held his hand over her mouth so that she couldn’t speak.
In the past, Katie had experienced recurring nightmares, but all of her nightmares stopped once we taught her how to pray in her dreams. Once she learned that Jesus has authority in her dreams, her nightmares stopped immediately. Reflecting on her past experiences with nightmares, we asked if she had tried to call out to Jesus in her recurring nightmare. She then said, “I tried! I couldn’t call out to Jesus because the man of fire covered my mouth.” As I choked back tears, Devin and I explained the power of prayer and the connection with the Lord in our mind. The three of us then prayed together and asked the Lord for heavenly reinforcements around Katie.
To date, she has not had any more dreams about a “man of fire.”
Over the next few weeks, we used her experience to teach her about the battle she faces. Just as a wartime general prepares the troops for war, we similarly taught her about the invisible war we all face. Would a general send in a lone soldier with only a spear and a pat on the back? No! A general would provide intel about the enemy, a battle strategy, battle armor and a way to request reinforcements. Similarly, we need to teach our children about the enemy they face, how to resist, and about the rules of engagement.
Our Action Plan
The stark reality is that there is another team, led by Satan, actively fighting against the work of the Lord. This team works night and day to cloud our vision, confuse our senses, and distract us from the truth that Jesus has conquered it all. The Bible doesn’t shy away from the truth that this other team is active, and we would be wise to acknowledge this truth and react accordingly. As Jesus prepared the disciples for His earthly death, He shared in Luke 22:31-32:
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
There are three main truths from Luke 22:31-32 we can use to equip our children for war: Satan must submit to the Lord, prayer is our primary weapon, and we must remain faithful.
1. Satan must submit to the Lord
Luke 22:31 reveals that Satan must first submit to the Lord and ask permission before executing his plans. Scripture confirms that Satan has been given dominion over certain aspects of the Earth (Ephesians 2:2, 2 Corinthians 4:4), though he ultimately submits to the Lord. Admittedly, this is a tough theological concept to wrestle through. When the battle turns against us and we experience wartime casualties, it’s difficult to know that the Lord allowed the events to happen. We know that the Lord uses all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28), yet the sting is real in the moment. We know that God uses suffering to produce perseverance, character and hope (Romans 5:3-5), and it is costly.
As we prepare our soldiers for war, we can cling to verses such as Luke 10:27-30 which reassure us that we belong to Jesus. We don’t know the adversity to come on this side of heaven, but we have eternal reassurance that “[believers] shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” There is nothing Satan can say or do that can pry us from the unfailing grip of the Lord.
2. Our Primary Weapons are Prayer and Scripture
When face to face with Satan in Luke 22:32, the first action taken by Jesus is prayer. This action is especially noteworthy when we consider the context of the verse. Jesus reveals His eternal, omniscient nature by confirming future events, yet His first action is to pray. With limitless resources at His fingertips, the divine Son of God chooses to pray. Jesus doesn’t give a lengthy sermon or spend hours researching biblical references to show Simon (later renamed Peter); He prays. So, if Jesus prayed in response to a spiritual battle at hand, that should be our response as well.
As seen in Luke 4, Satan has a resourceful bag of tricks with which to tempt, but we are ultimately responsible for the choice we make. When confronted with Satan’s lies throughout the chapter, Jesus repeatedly uses scripture as His shield. Satan has the ability to distort scripture and sow lies, but we are responsible to saturate our minds with biblical truth that illuminates the falsehood.
3. Remain faithful
What did Jesus pray for? Peter’s faith. Jesus knew that Peter would deny Him three times. Jesus also knew that Peter would repent and dedicate the rest of his life to further the gospel. As we enter our own individual battles, we would be wise to follow suit. As we endure our individual battles and as we pray for others in the midst of their spiritual battle, may we pray that the Lord would sustain our faith. Faith is the umbrella that covers everything else, right? Peace, comfort, rest, endurance, courage, and hope all stem from faithfulness, don’t they?
Resist! Draw near to God!
As a note of encouragement, James 4:7-8 assures us:
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”
We are called to submit to our Heavenly Commander and simultaneously resist the enemy. We are not called to chase down Satan and pick a battle with him; we are called to resist. As we equip our children with wartime intel, a battle strategy and armor, we are simultaneously raising tiny warriors who are prepared for battle. On the days that feel long and heavy, flip over to Revelation 20:10 for a spoiler alert as to how this war ends. The victory is set. Remain faithful; the best is yet to come.
How have you seen the Lord work in your prayer life? How will Luke 22:31-32 shift your perspective this week?
