Join our church as we pursue the way of Jesus through the practice of prayer. To learn more, go to: https://formedbyjesus.com/prayer

Prayer is so important because it allows us to delight in God’s presence, discern His heart, and depend on His power. But prayer is so powerful because it actually directs God’s hand. When we pray, prayer moves our heart and will to align with God’s heart and will. But it also moves God’s hand to directly interfere into the affairs of humanity. And yet few of us actually believe this. Some of us fall into the trap of fatalism, falsely believing God has already set the future and our prayers won’t actually change anything. Others of us fall into the trap of naturalism, falsely believing that prayer is less important than action. But throughout the scriptures, God does change his mind in response to his peoples’ prayers. In Exodus 32, after receiving the 10 Commandments, Moses prays on behalf of the Israelites and God relents. In 2 Kings 6, Elisha prays for the eyes of his servant to be opened to the reality of God’s power through prayer. If you track the theme of prayer throughout the biblical story, one thing becomes abundantly clear: prayer moves the hand of God to action. It’s our prayers, usually on behalf of others, by which God advances His Kingdom to push back the darkness in the world around us. Put simply, God responds when we pray. By praying bold prayers that just might move God’s hand to action, we practice turning our inward-focused minds, hearts, and bodies into outward-acting agents of God’s kingdom.

You've made it! Welcome to Week 4 of our family prayer practice—and this one may be the most transformational yet. This week, we’re focusing on praying for others, using Matthew 6:13 and the life of Jesus as our guide. He didn’t just pray for friends—He prayed for His enemies, for His disciples, and for people who didn’t yet know Him. What a powerful model for our children to follow.

Juli shares simple but meaningful ways to help your kids intercede for others—from whiteboard prayer lists to breath prayers to scripture-based intercession. Whether you're praying as a family or helping older kids develop their own rhythms, this practice will help build empathy, compassion, and a Christlike mindset.

📖 Verse Focus: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

📚 Story Focus: Jesus praying for His disciples and His enemies (John 17, Luke 23:34)

✨ This week includes:

Tips for helping kids pray for friends, teachers, and even enemies

A breath prayer toolkit for emotional regulation and spiritual focus

Recommended resources for parents and kids to go deeper

Continued Scripture prayer practice for older kids

💬 Comment below: Who did your family pray for this week? What surprised you?

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Download the full Family Guide at https://formedbyjesus.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Formed-By-Prayer-Family-Guide-2025.pdf

📚 Resources mentioned: Raising Prayerful Kids, Any Time, Any Place, Any Prayer, and Praying the Scriptures for Your Children

In the middle of teaching on prayer, Jesus tells us to ask, “Give us today our daily bread,” “forgive our sins,” and “deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:11–13). These requests span a spectrum: from the mundane, to the messy, to the monumental.

Daily bread reflects ordinary needs we often overlook—food for the day, a safe commute, help with our to-do list. “Forgive our sins” gets messy, confronting our failures and the challenge of forgiving others. “Deliver us” points to overwhelming needs—healing from deep wounds, restored relationships, freedom from bondage. Yet Jesus makes no distinction. Bread, forgiveness, deliverance—all are gifts from a generous Father.

If God truly is our Father, He wants us to ask—for small things and big things. Because asking reveals humility. It takes honesty and vulnerability to admit we need help, that we rely on His power. Prayer expresses this dependence. When we bring God the mundane, the messy, and the monumental, He responds. Not always how or when we expect. But Jesus reminds us: “Who among you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him” (Matthew 7:9–11).

In Week 3 of our prayer practice series, we’re helping families focus on the sacred act of asking God for help—both in the big and the small. This week centers on Matthew 6:11–12 and the story of Hannah, a woman who poured out her heart to God in desperation. Her story not only models bold, honest prayer but also leads us to the story of Samuel—a prophet who teaches us how to listen and respond to God's voice.

Julie walks us through how to bring these lessons to life in everyday parenting moments. Whether your child is afraid of the dark or dealing with something deeper, this week's practice gives you simple, powerful tools to make prayer a natural rhythm in your home.

📖 Verse Focus: Give us today our daily bread… and forgive us our debts.

📚 Story Focus: Hannah’s prayer for a child (1 Samuel 1)

💬 Drop a comment below with your family’s takeaway from this week!

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Download the Family Guide at https://formedbyjesus.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Formed-By-Prayer-Family-Guide-2025.pdf

In the middle of teaching on prayer, Jesus tells us to ask, “Give us today our daily bread,” “forgive our sins,” and “deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:11–13). These requests span a spectrum: from the mundane, to the messy, to the monumental.

Daily bread reflects ordinary needs we often overlook—food for the day, a safe commute, help with our to-do list. “Forgive our sins” gets messy, confronting our failures and the challenge of forgiving others. “Deliver us” points to overwhelming needs—healing from deep wounds, restored relationships, freedom from bondage. Yet Jesus makes no distinction. Bread, forgiveness, deliverance—all are gifts from a generous Father.

If God truly is our Father, He wants us to ask—for small things and big things. Because asking reveals humility. It takes honesty and vulnerability to admit we need help, that we rely on His power. Prayer expresses this dependence. When we bring God the mundane, the messy, and the monumental, He responds. Not always how or when we expect. But Jesus reminds us: “Who among you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him” (Matthew 7:9–11).

Join our church as we pursue the way of Jesus through 9 practices. To learn more, go to: https://formedbyjesus.com/prayer

In Week 2 of our Formed by Jesus Family Prayer Guide, we’re helping your kids learn what it means to listen to God—even when it’s not an audible voice. ✨

Trey and Kids Director Juli Minahan walk through this week's practice, which focuses on listening prayer and the power of reflection. This week’s theme is drawn from Matthew 6:10 ("Your kingdom come, your will be done...") and modeled through the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19. In this episode, you’ll discover:

How to teach kids that listening to God shapes our hearts

A simple family rhythm inspired by the Prayer of Examen

Daily questions to help kids reflect and notice God’s presence

A powerful journaling rhythm for older children

Bonus ideas like “writing scripture on the window” and the value of quiet moments

Whether you’re raising toddlers or teens, this guide helps your family learn to slow down, reflect, and walk with God—together.

📘 Download the guide or grab a printed copy at formedbyjesus.com/prayer

If the goal of prayer is to delight in God’s presence and develop deeper communion with Him, few of us want to settle for a one-sided relationship. At some point in our prayer journey, we’ll want to actually hear from Him. This is what Scripture calls discernment. And while prayer is about delighting in our personal relationship with God by sharing our hearts with Him, it’s also about learning His heart for us and for those around us.

When we pray to discern God’s heart, we’re asking to know God’s will. But we’re also asking that God would form and shape us into the kinds of people who are actually capable of accomplishing it. This means discerning God’s heart is less about finding the right path when faced with a decision and more about tuning our hearts and desires to God’s heart and desires. This is partly what Jesus means when He tells His disciples to pray, “Your Kingdom come Your will be done…” (Matt. 6:10). Discerning God’s heart is about surrendering our will to God’s. We want His will, not ours, to be done in our lives, in the lives of those around us, and in our world. Praying this way is about alignment. We want to bend our desires to God’s desires. And not just for ourselves.

We want to develop the heart God has for those around us as well. We want to hear from God, we want to respond to His voice, and we want to become people who carry out His will.

In this episode, Pastor Trey and Pastor Caleb recap the first teaching of our prayer practice.