How can you help your kids hear from God on a regular basis?
Every Christian parent wants their child to grow to know God, love God, and listen to God. However, much of our child’s ability to hear from God often depends on us creating and pursuing opportunities for them… to hear from God.
This past week, our two teenage boys were at Christian camp. It’s their third week of camp this summer, where every day of the week they get to hear Bible preaching and be saturated in a Christ-centered environment.
One of them also went on a missions trip to Mexico this past month and was able to see God work in some pretty cool ways. In addition to our family’s traveling schedule, their summer’s been busy, but in a good way.
Why do they do this? What’s the goal?
As parents, our desire is to provide exposure to the truth of God’s word through every means reasonably possible for our kids—camps, devotions, faith talks, videos, follow-up conversations, Sunday worship services, youth group, books, podcasts, other godly adults, etc.
We desperately want them to hear from God, but we need to put them in positions where they can regularly and easily hear his voice aside from the distractions of daily life.
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17
My boys and I do weekly Bible studies together and I’m regularly pulling up a video that challenged me, or sharing a book or podcast recommendation that I think they should check out. They do the same with me.
All of these things are intentional drops in the bucket of their spiritual formation. Because while I can’t always pour into their hearts, I can make sure there is a constant trickle of opportunities for God to speak.
What’s one of the greatest opportunities for God to speak?
Of course, the greatest drops into the bucket of your child’s heart and spiritual formation always come from you, your life, and your own example. Your children are naturally becoming you. Because whether you realize it or not, you are speaking daily without words.
If we want them to hear from God, are we listening ourselves? Can our children see that God is regularly speaking to us in a variety of ways? Do we regularly share how God is working in our own heart and life?
The specific ways that you invest spiritually into you kids doesn’t have to look the same as ours or other families (and will naturally look different depending on their ages). But in what practical ways are you, or can you, be investing drops into the bucket of your child’s heart and life for them to regularly hear from God?
- What “must-read” book can you recommend?
- What area has God recently challenged you in spiritually that you can share?
- What important conversation could you have this week?
- What Christian event or activity should you attend?
Just taking them to church occasionally and expecting all to turn out well is not really a good parenting game plan. Yet many parents do exactly that, hoping for the best. May I be honest? You need to be more intentional than that.
Do you really believe this?
Your child has the potential and capacity to change the world. I hope you really believe that’s true!
Your job is to provide them with the tools to do it! And nothing can equip them like the ongoing voice of God in their daily life.
Create regular ongoing opportunities for your kids to hear from God so that they can experience heart transformation through the renewing of their minds. This doesn’t happen accidentally, but intentionally.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2
In what big or small ways could you help your kids hear the voice of God this week?
