Praying the Scriptures With Your Preschoolers

I think sometimes we overthink life with preschoolers.

Especially with things of the faith. We think it is too hard or too deep for them to understand, and we sort of give up. Or we say, "In a few years I'll be able to teach my children about this..."

I want to share with you today something that has had a huge impact on my life and I pray will have a positive impact on your life as well.

Several years ago, in a very dark season in my life, I began {somewhat desperately} to open the Word of God each morning and read 1 Psalm. I would read a new Psalm each day, every day, sometimes even later in the day I would read it again. When I got to the end of the Psalms, I would start over again. I wrote them on index cards, I carried them with me, I cried as I read the words and eventually, I wasn't just reading the Psalms, I was praying them.

Praying Scriptures doesn't have to be some lofty, unattainable goal for the super spiritual. Praying the Scriptures is for the weak and broken, like me, who are desperate to hear from God. I would love for you to read 10 Benefits of Praying the Scriptures over at my place if you're interested in seeing the ways God has grown my prayer life and walk with Him through this simple prayer tool.

So what does praying the Scriptures have to do with preschoolers?

I'm glad you asked. If we believe that the Word of God is alive, powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, and is actually the very breath of God, why wouldn't we want to share this with our children? Even our tiniest one? I believe the Word of God was given to all of mankind. Not just the adults, not just the super spiritual and not just the extremely intelligent.

Praying the Scriptures can be as simple as reading a Psalm, saying those words to God, clinging to a phrase throughout your day, meditating on it and even speaking the words aloud. Praying the Scriptures can be as simple as, "Lord, You are my shepherd, I have all I need in You." from Psalm 23.

How can we take the Scriptures and pray them with our preschoolers? There are many ways we can incorporate the Word of God into our days...with kids, without kids, with preschoolers, with teenagers, or for our own quiet times when we hide in the bathroom.

5 Scriptures to Pray With Your Preschoolers

1. Psalm 23:1

"Lord, You are my shepherd. You take care of me."
Psalm 23 is one of the first full chapters I memorized with my children - even my young children! Take the time to show your children pictures of shepherds, explain what a shepherd does and how he cares for his sheep. Then relate how God is a shepherd to us.

2. Psalm 27:1

"Lord, You are my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?"
If you have a child struggling with fear, this is a great verse to memorize. This chapter has become one of my life chapters. I struggle with people pleasing and worrying/fearing what others think of me. So, not only will this help with childhood fears, it will help with the adult sized fears in our own lives as well.

3. Psalm 40:1

"Lord, I wait patiently on you, and You hear my prayers."
What a powerful truth for a child to learn at an early age!! We wait on the Lord! Oh how I hope that my children know the Lord is always at work even when we can't SEE what He may be doing in any given situation! And then, this verse gives children confidence because HE DOES hear their prayers!!

4. Psalm 51:1

"Lord, have mercy on me, You are merciful, wash away my sins."
If we can teach our children to go to God when they sin, if we can teach them that even in our sin, HE IS MERCIFUL, what a powerful testimony that will be in their lives!

5. Psalm 119:11

"I am hiding Your word in my heart, Lord, that I might not sin against you."
This is one of those verses that we carry with us our entire lives. I wish I had learned it at a younger age...I wish I had known the power of God's Word to transform hearts, convict, teach and comfort. May our children know this early on, Lord Jesus!

I hope these simple verses show you that praying Scripture isn't too difficult for anyone. I hope these verses encourage you to get in the Word with your children, even at a young age! Praying the Scriptures has been transformational in my own life, and I pray that it will be the same for you!

I have put together a resource for Praying the Scriptures through Advent and would love for you to join me! If you're on Instagram, please join our community there with the hashtag #prayingthescriptures and share your daily verses or just be encouraged by what the other ladies share!

Jesus, Light of the World: Praying the Scriptures through Advent will start on December 1st and each day we will pray one Scripture on the topic of LIGHT. Each day has a Scripture, a short devotional, a prayer and journaling lines for you to personalize your own Scripture prayers. Also available are 31 Scriptures to Pray for Your Family

Candace is just a messed up mama in need of God's fresh, new mercies daily. She blogs at His Mercy is New. She and her husband live in East Tennessee with their 3 children. The Lord has taken her on a journey, through the valley of depression, and taught her to pray Scriptures when Jesus was all she had to cling to. The Lord has brought comfort, encouragement and peace to her life as a result of this powerful tool and she hopes to encourage others in this endeavor as well.

You can see all her posts on praying the Scriptures here.