A Book Review from Books At a Glance
By Kristin Stiles
I have to admit that when I first picked up this book, I thought, “How in the world can this author fill up 142 pages with information about prayer for kids?” Asked and answered. Nancy Guthrie has done a tremendous job of examining so many facets of prayer and all at a child’s level.
Guthrie divides her book into 6 informative sections:
- God Wants Us To Talk To Him
- Prayer Is More Than Asking God For Things
- God’s People Have Always Prayed
- The Psalms Give Us Words To Pray
- Jesus Teaches Us To Pray
- Let’s Pray
In the first section, Guthrie discusses the most basic aspects of prayer such as what prayer is, how and when we can pray, and what we can pray about. I was a little uncomfortable with parts of this section since it is implied that God listens to everything that is offered up under the auspices of prayer. She does state that “God can hear our prayers because Jesus took our punishment for the sin that once came between God and us.” How that is accomplished isn’t explained at all, and a universal salvation could be assumed (mistakenly, I’m sure) by the wording.
I give high praise for all of the other sections, however. I really appreciate how Guthrie describes the various things we should pray about. I also enjoyed the section where she described prayers offered by people in the Bible and how it is appropriate for us to offer similar prayers. Her section on Psalms is wonderful as well. She points out the different types of prayers that are offered in the Psalms and includes several passages directly from that book. When sharing how Jesus teaches us to pray, not only does she give examples of the prayers offered by Jesus, but she also breaks down the Lord’s Prayer into phrases and explains the importance of each one. Finally, she gives very practical tips on what to pray, how to get in the habit of praying, and where and when to pray. Every article contains a very brief explanation followed by scripture and a prayer or question. The accompanying illustrations are adorable and really extend the text.
This truly is a great book for teaching young children about prayer. It is very extensive in scope, but it deals with each topic in a clear and simple way. I’d encourage parents to discuss with their children the fact that prayer has meaning and power within the context of a relationship with God through Jesus, but it is good to instill these disciplines at an early age.
Kristin Stiles is a home-school mom, a Sunday School teacher, and helps lead the “Young, Reading, & Reformed” children’s ministry at Reformed Baptist Church of Franconia, PA.
Editor’s Note: Be sure to visit our friends at 10Publishing for more of their excellent books!
Buy the books
What Every Child Should Know About Prayer