“Bring your littles, bring your middles, bring your teens. Come even if your kids are grown and gone. What ever your age, come.” So said the youth pastor on Sunday morning. The invitation to the congregation was to join others at a family prayer meeting that night.

Our church is home to people from newborn (the newest baby is just a week old) to many in their 80s and 90s. We are an intergenerational church. I knew that if Tom and I attended this prayer meeting we would be supporting the church and those who would attend. If that was all our presence did, that would be enough. But in my heart I wondered if the Lord  would have anything for us too.

When we got to the church, ten stations had been set up and were ready to engage participants. We were given printed instructions and were allowed to go from station to station at our own pace.

I looked around. Parents with “littles and middles.” as the youth pastor had called them, patiently guided their children  through the activities. The kids seemed interested and involved.

And several adults without kids stopped at the stations, read the page, meditated, and followed the prompts.

The Stations

Faith Community—We were invited to write a note to a person (cards were available at this station) or text someone the Lord had brought to mind.

Prayer of Surrender—At this station we were challenged to identify obstacles that might hold us back from fully surrendering to the Lord. Small white flags were provided for us to use as an act of personal surrender to God.

Take What You Need—This was an opportunity to consider what we felt we needed from God. Papers with tear-off pieces hung on the window. We were to look over the list and choose a word representing what we needed from God at the moment.

Letting Go—Here we were encouraged to meditate on what might have us tied up in knots. After a time of prayer we were invited to hand over our problem to the Lord. As a symbol of this, we picked up a rope and untied a knot.

Names of God—A list was provided with several names of God. We were instructed to choose one and meditate on it. What did this name tell us about God? Then we were to find the letters of the name of God we had chosen and add it to the crossword design. The name I chose was Immanuel, remembering the words of the angel to Joseph in Matt 1:23: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

Healing Prayers—This was an opportunity to ask the Lord to turn our thoughts to a hurting person in our church family and to pray for him or her. Then we should write the person’s initials on a bandaid and adhere the bandaid to the cross at the station.

Fishy Prayers— This station was to remember that God is our provider. After reading the story of Jesus feeding the 5000, we were to pray for someone from our church family who needs to experience God as provider. The activity was to enjoy a package of fish crackers as a reminder of God’s ability to provide.

Identity—Two mirrors stood up against the wall. Each one had a verse taped to it: 1 John 3:2 on one, Zephaniah 3:17 on the other. The verses remind us of our identity in God’s kingdom, and our identity rests solely in being a child of God.

A Perfect God—Being reminded that God alone is perfect, we were to find a word that represented a failure or disappointment that we have in this imperfect world. White-out tape was available for us to scratch out the word, then we should write over the white-out tape, “God is Perfect!”

Bubbling Gratitude—Outside the door of the church was a bucket holding several bottles of bubbles. This one was particularly geared to kids.What were they happy about or grateful for?. “Let’s blow bubbles as a symbol of our ‘bubbling gratitude’ to God!”

God’s Presence

I was really moved by this service. Watching  the young children with their parents filled me with joy. As I sat at the various stations I found that the Lord had something there for me. Through smiles and tears, I basked in the love and presence of Jesus.  But we weren’t quite finished.

There is an old growth forrest on our church campus. Nearly 20 years ago a group of folks created a prayer trail through the forrest. It was suggested that we might want to walk the Prayer Trail.

It was the Golden Hour, the time of day that the light is perfect for photography. The sun shone through the trees. Tiny delicate flowers grew in the ground cover under massive trees. It’s about a 10-minute walk if you are not meandering, and if you are not a kid running through with friends.

Tom and I walked the prayer trail together, enjoying the beauty of God’s creation.

Tangible Faith

Faith can become tangible for children by experiences like these. Keep your eyes open for chances to engage the kids in your life in discovering truths to build their live on.

But it isn’t just for kids. Even with a good many years of life experience, we don’t always know what we need. Sometimes we don’t even know what we’re feeling. But God knows. And there are times when he surprises us with hand-on faith opportunities.

They may come in the form of a question God asks. There are times when he rescues us in a visible way. Maybe he provides abundantly for us. In moments when we feel unlovable he reminds us of his love.

These are just a few of  the ways our faith becomes tangible.

May the Lord bless you with opportunities to experience tangible faith in the days ahead.

Ginger