It’s the National Day of Prayer, that one day a year that we seriously take a few minutes (or maybe not even that) to say a prayer that our nation will turn back to God and get serious about living right.

It’s a beautiful and good tradition – with leaders dating all the way back to the American founders, such as President John Adams, proclaiming “day[s] of solemn humiliation, fasting, and prayer” for the country and its inhabitants.

There’s no denying that America needs prayers. In fact, it’s quite evident that American society could use – and likely even wants – a religious infusion in general … but that infusion can’t come by just an annual recognition of spiritual things such as we have with the National Day of Prayer.

“Religion, in short, is the art of living day by day with God,” mid-20th century author Bernard Bell explained in his book, “Crisis in Education.” This art of living is acquired not so much by instruction at church, school – private or public – or society in general; instead, an understanding of spiritual matters and a knowledge of God is acquired chiefly through the family:

From the earliest days of Israel the duty of imparting to each oncoming generation the religious wisdom of the past has been given not to the state, not to the church, not to the school, not to priest or prophet or rabbi, but to the parents. It has been so in Christianity, too…. In the ‘days of faith’ Christian fathers and mothers were the teachers, aided by priests and other professional instructors; it was not the latter who were assisted by the former.

Bell concludes by offering the following warning:

When church and home forget their true relationship, at that instant Christianity ceases to manifest vitality and begins to degenerate into a less and less significant convention.

For parents already overwhelmed by the cares of feeding, clothing, educating and shuttling children to a myriad of activities, the idea that they are responsible for their child’s spiritual education – and by extension, the wellbeing of the nation – is overwhelming, particularly when many of today’s parents haven’t been raised with a religious understanding either.

For those who feel this way, Bell offers encouragement and some simple steps to take to begin incorporating religious instruction into the home.

1. The Simplicity of Spiritual Matters

We often get lost in what some call the “ups and downs and bells and smells” of religion. But religion’s “simple purpose is to bring together in mutual love human beings and God, God who is the beginning and the end, God with whom is purpose,” Bell says. In other words, if you can daily teach your children “to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever,” you’re on the right track.

2. Time for Devotion

For those who don’t know where to start on spiritual training, Bell suggests committing to simple family devotions every day. This can be as simple as reading a Psalm or a Proverb after dinner, passing the Bible around so each family member has a chance to read, or perhaps studying a question from the catechism. Steady commitment to family devotions will show children that spiritual things are important, while also steadily growing their understanding of God and his ways.

3. Meaningful Prayers

“Training in religion cannot be reduced to the saying by a child of a hackneyed prayer or two before he goes to bed,” Bell writes. Sadly, “Now I lay me down to sleep” is the most introduction to home prayer that many children ever get.

Don’t let your home be that way. Yes, pray before bed and meals. But also pray after family devotions, asking for prayer requests and bringing them to God as a family unit. Pray before road trips. Pray for those who are sick. Pray for the tiny troubles that come up daily. Pray for the nation and its leaders, from the president on down to the school board. And don’t just leave it there. Look for ways God answers those prayers and share them with your family, pointing out that God is actively working on our behalf.

4. Attend Church

As Bell said previously, parents shouldn’t rely on pastors and Sunday school teachers to train their children in spiritual things, but a father’s “regular and humble attendance with his children at the ancient ceremonies” will make the Lord’s house a priority for a child. Staying afterwards and building relationships with others who are also seeking God will build a network of support that will encourage you and your children that you are not the only ones who make God a priority in their lives.

5. Talk About Spiritual Things

Ever at a loss as to what to talk about at dinnertime with your children? Talk about spiritual things – what you read in the Bible, how God is correcting or training you as a parent, ways that God answered your prayers – no matter how small. “The parental guide needs somehow to see to it that the children remain constantly aware of what religion is, that they do not forget that its simple purpose is to bring together in mutual love human beings and God,” Bell writes [emphasis added]. His advice echoes the biblical command to teach God’s words “diligently unto thy children,” talking of them in even the most mundane aspects of each day.

As our world devolves into chaos, many Americans are seeing the need to move away from the secular neutrality we’ve practiced in recent decades and instead plant the flag through spiritual grounding and Christian beliefs. Doing so is not as hard as we make it out to be. Introduce your children to spiritual things at a young age, model those same practices and beliefs yourself, and you just may play a key role in turning the tide on the despair that afflicts many in our nation today.

The National Day of Prayer is a good day to start.

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The republication of this article is made possible by The Fred & Rheta Skelton Center for Cultural Renewal. 

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