Have you ever prayed with your tween at night and quietly wondered something? Are they saying the words of the prayer or do they actually believe God will answer? Many children grow up learning how to say prayers, but they never really learn how to trust God with their prayers. And when that happens, prayer slowly becomes something they see.
But don't truly believe. And eventually prayer begins to feel empty. But Psalm five shows us something powerful. It reveals a simple pattern that helps children understand how prayer really works. Three words, talk, trust, follow, and together. These three actions form one powerful New Testament word called faith.
But here is the surprising part. Most people think. Faith begins with belief. Psalm five shows us faith begins with something different. Faith actually begins with how we pray. And today we're going to walk through Psalm five and discover how you can teach this pattern to your tween in just a few minutes.
And before we be begin, I want you to think about something. When your child prays, what do they actually expect God to do? Just hold that question in your mind because by the end of this episode, that answer may change. Welcome to the Faith Mom Mentor, the podcast for moms who want more than surface level faith for themselves and their kids.
I'm Anne, and if you're a mom who feels unsure where to start, spiritually worries. You're not teaching your kids enough and wants a calmer or confident faith at home, you are in the right place. Here we cut through the noise and get grounded in truth. Each episode helps you know God deeply, teach your tween faithfully and build a home that feels strong, steady, and Christ-centered even in the middle school years.
If you are ready to stop guessing, start leading with confidence and grow a faith, your family can actually live out. You are in the right place. Welcome to the Faith Mom. Mentor. Today we're continuing in the Book of Psalms and exploring how Psalms help our children learn how to talk with God personally.
Psalm five gives us a beautiful picture of prayer, and within this Psalm we see a simple rhythm that helps children understand how faith. Through prayer. Three movements, talk, trust, follow. Let's begin with the first one. Talk. Prayer begins with talking to God. Psalm five verses one and two says, oh Lord, hear me as I pray.
Pay attention to my groaning. Listen to my cry for help, my king and my God. For I pray to no one but you. David is doing something very simple. He is speaking directly to God. Prayer is not about impressive words. Prayer is about real communication with the one who hears us. In Psalm five, we see David talk to God in several ways.
He asks, he cries out. He expresses deep need. Sometimes prayer even includes groaning. Those moments when your heart feels heavy and the words are hard to find, but notice. Something important. David calls God my king and my God, David knows exactly who he is talking to, the creator, the authority, the one who cares for him.
And David makes something very clear. I pray to no one but you. He is going straight to this. Source, and this is exactly what we want our children to learn. Prayer is simply talking honestly with God. Let me pause and ask something. If your tween prayed tonight, would they feel like they were talking to a real God who hears them or simply repeating a prayer they learn somewhere along the way?
The difference is where faith begins. The second part of prayer is trust. Psalm five shows us that David trusted God because he understood. Stood, God's character. Psalm five, verse seven says, because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house. I will worship at your temple with my deepest awe. David approaches God with confidence because he knows something about him.
God's love is unfailing. That means God loved us yesterday. God loves us today and God will love us tomorrow. And because God's love does not fail, we can trust him with our prayers. Psalm five shows several ways. Trust appears in prayer, trusting God's love, waiting expectantly, trusting God's judgment, and trusting God's protection.
Psalm five. Verse three says In the morning, I lay my request before you and wait expectantly David prayed expecting God to act. Let me give you a simple example. Imagine your tween praying the night before a test. They might say, God, please help me tomorrow, but trust, add something deeper. It would say, God, I studied.
I did my best. I trust you. With the outcome, do you hear the difference? The second prayer shows trust in God's character and trust is what begins to turn prayer into faith. Now we come to the third part of the prayer, and this is the part many people overlook following God first. Eight of Psalm five says, leave me in the right way.
David is essentially saying, God, you lead. I will follow. Prayer is not just asking God to do what we want. Prayer is asking God. Guide our steps. Jesus taught the same principle when he taught his disciples to pray. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. That prayer is about guidance. When we pray, we are asking God to help us follow his truth, avoid the wrong path, walk in his direction.
Psalm five also shows that prayer becomes a daily rhythm. In the morning, I lay down my request before you and wait. Expectantly Prayer becomes a habit coming to God, seeking his guidance, walking in his direction. Now, here's where everything comes together. When someone talks to God. Trusts God and follows God.
The Bible calls that something. That word is faith. Faith is what happens when a person talks to God, trust God and follows God. Faith is a substance of things hoped for. The evidence of things not seen. Faith means we pray, believing God will act. James one even warns us that someone who asks. Without faith should not expect to receive.
But Jesus also gives us encouragement. Even a small faith is powerful. Matthew 17, verse 20 says, faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains. When someone talks to God, trust God and follows God, God can move what seems impossible. Here is something simple you can try this week, tonight, or maybe even tomorrow morning, read Psalm five together with your tween.
Then ask three simple questions. How did David talk to God? How did David trust God? And what did David ask God to lead him to do? Then pray together using the same three steps Talk. Trust, follow. You may be surprised how quickly your child begins to understand what faith in prayer really looks like. And if you want to keep growing in the journey of raising a child, check out episode 18, the biblical path to raising a Wise and Discerning Tween.
We'll look at what Scripture teaches about helping our children grow in wisdom, discernment, and spiritual understanding. And if you've. And I think you'll find it incredibly encouraging. Before you go, remember this, you are doing sacred work as you nurture faith in your home and it matters more than you realize.
Thank you for choosing to spend this time growing stronger and steadier in truth. If today helped you take one more step forward, head to life and peace ministries. Dot com for simple faith-filled resources designed to support you as you know God deeply, and teach your tween faithfully, including faith, mom, t-shirts, and ways to connect for speaking and faith mentoring.
You can also help another mom by following the show, leaving a quick review or sharing this episode with somebody who needs encouragement right now. Until next time. Keep leading with faith. Your faithfulness is shaping a legacy.
