“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.”
Philippians 4:6 (NLT)
Before I give the four reasons to pray, let’s talk about what prayer is. Prayer is communication. Whether we’re listening or not, God speaks to us. He communicates through his Word, by the Holy Spirit and through the people in our lives. If we only listen, it’s a one-sided conversation. But when we choose to pray, we allow our connection with God to become a two-way street. Jesus led by example. Scripture shows us that he was in constant communication with the Father. By listening and by praying.
4 Reasons to Pray
1. Scripture tells us to.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Paul commands his readers to “never stop praying.” This doesn’t mean to be on our knees 24/7, getting nothing done. We are Christ’s body, after all. Bodies move. However, we should keep our mind on God’s kingdom and keep the connection open by being ready to listen and to talk to God throughout the day as if he was walking beside us.
2. God cares for us.
1 Peter 5:7 says, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” When I pick up my ADHD/ASD preteen from school, I ask about her day— how she felt, if she got into any trouble or had a hard time, if she had any fun, and anything she wants to talk about. I might do nothing about any of it and simply validate her feelings. I ask because I care, not just to get the daily report. And God cares too. He wants us to lay on him all that’s on our minds.
3. Prayer is powerful.
Prayer is a vehicle God often uses to get his will done. In Kings 17, Elijah prayed for no rain and none fell for three and a half years. Elijah later prayed for a widow’s son to come back to life, and God renewed the boy. The apostles in the New Testament preformed miracle after miracle through prayer. God has answered my prayers in so many ways for my daughter. First off, I prayed to have a child, and God gifted Kayla through adoption. I’ve recently asked God to open doors for services, and he seems to be doing that. Don’t get the wrong idea. God says no a lot.
4. Prayer provides peace.
Paul follows the above verse from Philippians with this: “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” I can testify that when our cat (Kayla’s cat) went missing, prayer helped calm her nerves. We pray for wounded and homeless animals I refuse to let Kayla take home. When she shares her concerns, I remind her that she can pray about them to God, who loves her.
What this can teach us about our communication with our children.
Just as God wants open communication with us, we should seek the same with our neurodivergent children. NO question should be rejected. Even “Why not?” should be respected with an “I have the authority and don’t want an argument, so I’m not going to explain myself” or something along those lines. Every emotion should be validated, even if the delivery must be corrected. Our kids should feel safe to tell us anything. The good, the bad and especially the ugly.
Let’s seek and allow 100% communication with our neurodivergent children.
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