Bring Prayer Home

 
Ray Mileur Ministries
Bring Prayer Home
By Ray Mileur

“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children…”
— Deuteronomy 6:6–7

We have often said that the decline of America’s youth began when prayer was taken out of schools. But perhaps the deeper truth is this: the decline did not begin when prayer was taken out of the classroom. It began when prayer was taken out of the home — and treated as optional in the church.

That is a hard truth, but sometimes the hard truth is the one that wakes us up.

The first place a child should learn to pray is not in a school building. It should be at home — around the dinner table, beside the bed, in the living room, in the car, and in those quiet moments when life becomes heavy and hearts need direction. The first altar a child should know is not public. It is personal. It is the home.

Deuteronomy reminds us that the Word of God must first be written on our own hearts before we can faithfully pass it on to the next generation. We cannot teach what we do not treasure. We cannot model what we do not live. We cannot expect our children and grandchildren to walk in truth if they rarely see us kneel in prayer.

Today’s young people are facing trials and tribulations many of us never imagined at their age. They are growing up in a world filled with pressure, confusion, broken homes, anxiety, depression, loneliness, online cruelty, and constant noise. Voices from every direction are telling them who they should be, what they should believe, and where they should find their worth.

And too often, we have expected the world to do what God entrusted to the home and the Church.

Programs are not enough. Activities are not enough. Entertainment is not enough. Good intentions are not enough. Our children need prayer. They need Scripture. They need truth spoken in love. They need repentance modeled, forgiveness practiced, faith lived, and Jesus made visible in everyday life.

They need parents, grandparents, pastors, teachers, and believers who will not only talk about faith, but walk in it.

Joshua declared, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” That is not just a verse for a wall plaque. It is a decision. It is a daily commitment. It is a line drawn in the sand.

We cannot expect the next generation to stand firm in a world of confusion if we have not first taught them how to kneel before God.

The answer is not merely getting prayer back into schools. The answer begins with getting prayer back into our homes, back into our families, back into our churches, and back into our own hearts.

In His love,

ray