I Can Learn to Pray by Holly Hawkins Shivers

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Our latest BookLook book from Harper Collins is I Can Learn to Pray by Holly Hawkins Shivers.  Remember the prayers we learned as children, the ones we repeated over and over again?

Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake
I pray the Lord my soul to take.

I remember praying that prayer over and over again as a child.  My parents were devout Christians  who instilled Christian values in me as early as they could.  One of those values included prayer.  Although I always valued the little prayer I prayed with my mother and daddy as a child, I chose to teach my children to pray differently.  In keeping with tradition, I did allow my children to repeat prayers such as “Now I lay me down to sleep” after me a few times, but I felt it was important to teach my children to pray their own prayers, straight from their hearts, from the beginning.  I always loved hearing them pray their own prayers.  How much more our Lord must have enjoyed them!

I Can Learn to Pray

I Can Learn to Pray by Holly Hawkins Shivers is designed to help children learn to pray.  There are 52 devotions in the book so parents can read one per week with their kids.  In a forward by O.S. Hawkins, Holly’s dad, we learn that Holly has been praying since she was learning to talk.  Her dad recalls ” Holly’s own sweet petitions to God as she was learning to frame syllables into words and sentences.”

In her note to parents, Holly explains that, based on Luke 11:1, prayer is learned.

It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.” – Luke 11:1

The best description of the value of this book is also found in Holly’s note to parents, in her own words:

This fifty-two week parent-led study will teach children how to pray, how to listen, and what it means to draw near to God.  We will tackle subjects like the importance of a thankful heart, how to “praise,” why we must confess, and where to go for help.  We will talk about how to “be still,” we will look at the prayers Jesus prayed, and in the end, we will all be changed!” – Holly Hawkins Shivers

Each week begins with a simple one or two sentence that children can repeat in prayer.  Then, the next couple of pages are filled with Biblical principles and lessons on prayer.  A few examples are:

What is prayer?

Making Prayer a Habit

Prayer is a Gift to God

Giving Thanks to God

God Gives Grace

Those are just a few examples of what parents and children will learn together in I Can Learn to Pray.  There is a total of 52 lessons – one for each week of the year!

I believe I Can Learn to Pray is a valuable tool for teaching children how to pray authentic, heart-felt prayers to their God.  You can get your copy here.