Pastor Emmanuel Iren has encouraged Christian parents to take responsibility for nurturing their children’s faith, stressing that children should learn about God’s power and answered prayers through experiences within their own families, rather than depending entirely on the church.
During a teaching, the cleric shared a testimony about a family that had been praying for a car for four years.
According to him, the family consistently included the request in their morning devotion until one day, their young daughter, who was in JSS2, became discouraged and refused to participate.
When her father asked why she no longer wanted to pray, she replied:
“We pray every day. God is not answering us.”
Pastor Iren explained that the girl’s response deeply affected her father, who reassured her that God heard their prayers and would eventually answer.
Unknown to the family, Pastor Iren said he later experienced what he believed was a divine instruction to purchase a car for them.
He explained that someone had previously visited his house with a vehicle belonging to another person who wanted to sell it.
Although he had no personal need for the car, he said he later felt instructed by God to contact the person, pay for the vehicle, and have it delivered to the family.
Interestingly, Pastor Iren said he had no knowledge of the family’s four-year prayer journey or the daughter’s recent discouragement.
He further revealed that he felt specifically instructed to ensure the delivery happened during a video call, something he said he had never been directed to do before or since.
When the vehicle arrived, the father reportedly broke down in tears and pointed towards his daughter, repeatedly saying:
“I told you. I told you.”
Reflecting on the experience, Pastor Iren explained that the incident illustrated the importance of children personally witnessing what their parents believe to be God’s faithfulness.
He argued that reading about answered prayers is different from experiencing something that strengthens one’s faith.
He then challenged Christian parents with a message:
“Make sure your pastor is not the first man of God your children know.”
According to him, parents should not leave the responsibility of teaching their children about prayer and faith entirely to pastors or church leaders.
He maintained that family devotion should provide opportunities for children to pray alongside their parents and witness experiences that strengthen their confidence in God.
“If it is in church that people first encounter that God hears and God answers prayers, something is wrong,” he said.
His message emphasised the role of parents in building a foundation of faith at home, encouraging families to make prayer and spiritual instruction part of their children’s upbringing.