Ann has a splendid tradition of naming each new year. Last year I started that little exercise as well. You can read about that word here.

This year I have been carefully searching for the perfect moniker for 2012. It’s not an easy task, to be sure. Something about the process seems weighty and significant and it’s easy to become paralyzed as the word lies just out of reach.

Last year lives up to it’s name. I expect this year to as well. My word for this year is

Salient.

Salient–standing out conspicuously : prominent; especially : of notable significance

It is my aim this year to focus on the salient in my life, to always pay closest attention to the things that are most important and significant. It’s not easy to do in this world where everything—even the trivial—seems urgent and important.  I pray God will help me filter the salient in my life and place it prominently before me.

By shifting our focus from what we do to what God does, don’t we cancel out all our careful keeping of the rules and ways God commanded? Not at all. What happens, in fact, is that by putting that entire way of life in its proper place, we confirm it.                       Romans 3:31 The Message

There is no shortage of noise today. In fact, it’s hard to get away from noise at all. And when we do, often the awkward silence makes us uncomfortable. We want to fill every moment with talking, with music, with anything. What are we trying to avoid? What are we pushing away in the cacophony?

A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn’t to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn’t in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn’t in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper.   1 Kings 19:11, 12 The Message

We hear things all day long–car horns, children talking, phones ringing, TV, radio, music, you name it. Even in our prayer time the tendency is to do all the talking. In this passage Elijah hears God speaking in a still, small voice. You can’t hear that kind of conversation if your mouth is open.

Listening is an acquired skill, an art. It is more than just hearing; it’s actively taking in, processing. It is alert, quiet expectation. It is straining for the input, for the voice at the other end of the line.

Prayer is just as much about listening as it is about talking. You cannot have a conversation without two parties engaging. Next time you have a time of prayer, I encourage you to be aware of how much you talk and how much you listen. God is just waiting for you to ask what He has to say to you.

This Father’s Day I hope you will take time to pray with your children for Dad. I hope you will visit or call your own father and pray for him. I hope that if your own father has passed away–as mine has– that you will find a father to pray for today.

Please also make sure to pray for a single father. They need an extra dose of TLC today and every day.

What will I pray? you may ask. First I suggest that you take a moment to think about the person you are praying for. What are needs they may have? What about them are you thankful for? Use these things to form a prayer.

What if I (or he) feel uneasy or awkward about praying out loud for him? You can always write your prayer in a note. or record it and play it for him. Or you can just push through the awkwardness–and keep it short!

What if my dad (or husband) isn’t open to the idea? Then pray for him anyway, to yourself. Bring him before the Lord in your quiet time. Again, you can write a nice note instead, letting him know how much you love him.

A simple prayer can be a meaningful way to connect with the father in your life and may open the door to more prayers together in the future.

Christians in South Korea have the benefit of going to Prayer Mountain. There they have created small prayer rooms that one can close themselves off to concentrate and pray. You can make a special place in your home for quiet prayer. Even a small corner or under a desk can make a great prayer grotto at home.

Find a place in your home that’s not busy. a back corner, closet floor or even below a desk can serve as a quiet spot. If you’d like, put up some scriptures, reminders, small maps or pictures. Put a pillow you can sit on and you’re good to go. Children love secret spaces, so this might be right up your child’s alley. It’s a quiet spot where they can go to be alone and talk to God. Encourage them to take their Bible and prayer journal with them to write down anything God tells them.

With  the busy pace of today’s life why should we take time to pray regularly as a family? There are many reasons.

• Unity. People who pray together grow closer.
• Teaching. It’s a great opportunity to teach your child (and learn yourself) how to hear from God.
• God says to. We are commanded to “pray without ceasing.”
• Altruism. We think of the needs of others and not our own.
• Peace. We know we have taken our needs to God and He is taking care of things in His time.
• Perspective. We are concerned with what God is doing all over the earth, not just in our own backyard.
• Contentment. It brings satisfaction and lessens our need for “stuff” and allows us to just “be.”

A family prayer journal is a great way to chronicle your journey together. All you need is a blank book and a pen. Everyone can add to the book as needed. Keep track of prayers and answers, keep pictures and drawings of things on your heart, and things your learn about prayer. Keep it as a sort of spiritual scrapbook for your family. Since it’s all together in one journal instead of each having their own journal–or in addition to your own–you have a great snapshot of your lives during a particular time. It would be especially good for important milestones, like an illness, loss of a job, a new addition to the family or other life changing event.

Just make sure you stay alert. Keep close watch over yourselves. Don’t forget anything of what you’ve seen. Don’t let your heart wander off. Stay vigilant as long as you live. Teach what you’ve seen and heard to your children and grandchildren.     Deut. 4:9 The Message

God says we are to remember His deeds and tell them to our children. What better way than in a journal?

As parents we are to lift our children up in prayer daily. (Sometimes hourly!) But in the business at times I found myself struggling to focus my mind, so I kept praying the same basic things every day. Then someone gave me a new tool to make my prayer time more effective.

I have had this prayer calendar for a long time and thought I’d pass it along.  It will help you pray for your children about something different each day.

Praying for Our Children Calendar

If you would like to, please leave a note about how you pray for your children. Also see my previous posts on prayer. I did a series a while back on family prayer.

Be Intercessory

This one can be a challenge for children, who (hopefully unlike their parents) are pretty ego-centric. It is nice to form habits early that include prayer for others.  It is scriptural and also practical.

We should always be mindful of the lost around us. We should also be quick to pray for anyone at any time, even in the store or in our neighborhood. If you encounter someone with urgent needs, I encourage you to stop and pray right then. It is very rare that someone will not accept an offer for prayer.

You can encourage your children to intercede on behalf of others by offering them opportunities. Things like prayer lists and bulletin boards can keep children mindful of the needs of others. And it helps even more when your first answer to a need they bring to you is to pray about it. Even a simple two sentence prayer can move mountains. Putting the needs of others before your own will develop children who are giving and loving. They will also see the scripture in Matthew played out in their lives, when Jesus said not to take care for your own needs, but to seek His kingdom first. They will see God’s blessing on their lives and it will increase their faith all the more.

Gal 6:2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

Jam 5:16 Confess yourfaults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Mar 13:33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.

Luk 10:2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers arefew: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.

Be Effective

This may seem like a no-brainer to you, but there really is a strategy to effective prayer, according to God’s Word.

1) Pray God’s will. What is His will? His Word. Praying scriptures is a sure-fire way to get your prayers answered.

2) Get along. Especially live in peace as husband and wife. (1 Peter 3:7)

3) Live a forgiving lifestyle. James 5:16 mentions forgiveness and effectual prayer in the same verse. Knowing God like I do, I don’t think this is a coincidence.

4) Seek out peace in your home. 1 Peter 3:8-11 It is difficult to pray with and for people you are striving against. Live together as allies, as a team, as fellow soldiers in God’s army. Make sure you have one another’s backs and your prayers will become more meaningful, sincere and effective.

5) Pray with faith. James 1:5-8, Mark 11:24, Daniel 10:9-13. When you pray according to God’s will, you can rest assured He will answer.

6) Know what it is you are praying for. It is hard to pray with faith when you aren’t exactly sure what it is you are praying about. You don’t necessarily need all the details in every situation, but a general idea is very helpful in applying your faith and praying effectively.

Be Authentic

The Bible is full of honest prayers. See Jesus at the Garden of Gethsemane. Or Moses at the burning bush. Or Paul in prison. Or Job in his struggles. God is not bothered by honesty. I believe He is bothered when we do not bring ALL to Him in prayer. It’s okay to question but don’t get stuck there. Allow God to do what He does best—work things for your good, if you belong to Him.

Be honest about your needs in your prayer time with your family. Don’t hesitate to ask  your children to pray about certain issues. Of course, you don’t discuss anything they don’t need to know about. When they see you have prayer needs as well they will be more willing to open up in your prayer time. (Heb 13:18 )

No need to be stuffy or formal in your prayers. Kids might question your authenticity if you don’t pray to God like you speak in your everyday life. Remember, it’s a conversation, not a speech. If you are willing to pray instantly, your prayers will be authentic and come from the heart. Get in the habit of praying without ceasing.

Be quick to show answers to prayer too. And keep record of them. It will build your faith and bring more authenticity to your prayer time because you have specific praise to bring to Him and not vague “Thanks for this day” prayers.

You are an example. Model prayers that will last. Jesus did just that with the Lord’s Prayer (Matt 6:9-13) Allow the Holy Spirit to help you pray God’s will (Rom 8 ) and you will most definitely be authentic.