In Paul’s closing statements to the Colossian church, Paul calls them to prayer. It’s a call we’ve all heard in our churches more than once, but if you’ve ever worked with kids, you know just how intimidating prayer can be.

Honestly, if you’ve ever talked to adults, the result is often the same. I’ve never met a person who says they pray too much. It’s only ever the opposite.

“I wish I was more diligent in prayer.”

“I really need to grow my prayer life.”

The reality of our fallen nature is that prayer no longer comes naturally. Once, Adam and Eve dwelt in the garden with God, basking in his presence. Now, we shy away from the call to be in fellowship with him.

But Paul doesn’t want us to stay there. He encourages us to devote ourselves to prayer. The word calls for us to be consistent, steadfast, and to persevere. So how do we start?

Most kids feel uncomfortable or weird praying. They feel like they’re just talking out loud. They feel like they’re in a one-way conversation. Some wonder big questions like “if God already knows, why do I have to say it?” Enter in and answer these questions. Tell them about your own experiences with prayer. Explain how they can learn God’s voice by listening and reading their Bibles. Talk about how God longs for us to bring our thoughts and needs to him. Tell them of prayers answered or how you yourself became comfortable praying.

Often, it simply has to begin as a habit- a persistent, steadfast devotion. From there, encourage kids to watch as God grows their prayer lives. From there, see him answer in amazing ways. From there, watch as they develop the lifelong habit of fellowship with their Creator.

In order to start the process, sometimes it helps kids (and adults) to journal their prayers. Below I’ve included three different prayer journals free for you to download and print. I pray this helps your kids to devote themselves to prayer, drawing them closer to Jesus. All are the same, just with different backgrounds.

Black and White Prayer Journal

Pink Watercolor Prayer Journal

Green and Blue Prayer Journal

Other Free Resources

If you’ve enjoyed these blogs on Colossians, check out this free commentary for kids. It goes through the book of Colossians section by section and chapter by chapter, explaining history, culture, and offering practical application for kids. Read it aloud for your family devotions, homeschool, or as a study tool before you teach Sunday School and dig deep together.

Rooted and Built Up: A Kid’s Companion to Colossians

Other Kid’s Companions on Mark, Philippians, and 1 Peter can be found here.

Click here for free Sunday School Lesson Plans.