What Every Child Should Know About Prayer A Biblical Theology of Prayer for ChildrenA Book Review

This article was first published in French at TPSG.

The day we received our copy of What Every Child Should Know About Prayer in the mail, our seven-year-old daughter leapt with excitement. She couldn’t wait to start reading it, and stuck it under her pillow so she could continue after we’d read our nightly chapter as a family.

Theologian Turned Children’s Author
I love it when a well-respected theologian writes a children’s book. I had the privilege of meeting Nancy Guthrie and taking part in a workshop she led on expository teaching through The Charles Simeon Trust. I have also listened to most of the episodes of her podcast “Help Me Teach the Bible,” in which she interviews renowned pastors and scholars in order to equip God’s servants to be better Bible teachers.

My husband and I are both Bible teachers, and we minister primary among adults. Sometimes we have trouble bringing deep subjects down to our children’s level. What is wonderful about her approach is the way in which Guthrie brings her expertise in biblical theology to bear in this simple yet profound book. While it's intended for children, it is edifying and helpful for all.

Summary of the Book
Each chapter contains a short, clear explanation on an element of prayer, a supporting Bible verse, and either a prayer to read aloud or a question for discussion. The opening section of the book directs children toward the reason for prayer: Because God wants us to talk to him and promises to hear us. She even explains the role of each of the members of the Trinity in prayer: we pray to the Father because Jesus renders our prayers acceptable to him by his work on the cross, and the Holy Spirit is our helper throughout.

In the next section, she helps our little ones understand that prayer is about more than asking God for stuff. We come before God to express dependence, worship, thanks, sorrow for sin, and then our needs. Then, with God rightly at the center, Guthrie walks us through how to pray according to his Word, drawing lessons from the lives of biblical characters (Moses, David, Solomon, Isaiah, Mary, and Paul), the Psalms, and the life of Christ and the prayer he taught his disciples (i.e. The Lord’s Prayer). The final section gives practical examples of biblical prayers, which include not only asking for divine healing and help, but also praying for wisdom, for boldness, for Christlikeness, and for the cause of global missions.

Concluding Remarks
I also would like to draw special attention to Jenny Blake, the illustrator. Traditional children’s books have typically depicted Jesus and his disciples as Europeans with light skin and eyes. In many cases, this homogenized look extended to the images of the men, women, and children portrayed. Brake does an excellent job of mirroring the true nature of Christ’s global church. Not only do its pages contain beautiful drawings of people of European, Africa, Asian, and Latin American descent, but she also represents rural and urban settings throughout the world, and even includes a child in a wheelchair and a sick child in a hospital bed. Imagine the blessing that that is for parents who so often field the question from their kids, “Why doesn’t anyone in my books look like me?"

In case it wasn’t obvious, I loved this book. Nancy Guthrie helps children (and adults) turn their prayers upwards and outwards rather than inwards, which is the natural tendency of believers young and old.

Christmas is around the corner, friends. Bless your children - and your entire family - with a copy of this book.