The time may come, too, when someone needs saved. A small child will usually pipe up that they want to be saved just because someone else is. But, sometimes they are ready at a very young age. Personally, I think understanding salvation at age 4-5 is like reading at age 3. Yes, some children do it. However, most aren’t quite ready, because their minds haven’t developed enough yet to comprehend the basic things necessary.
So, see if they understand, and if they seem to, pray with them, but be ready to lead them again some time later, just in case.
Remember, too, that it’s not the prayer itself that saves. Jesus saves us when we put our whole trust in Him. It will sometimes be hard to know for sure that someone is ready, but it’s important that the person understand: 1. that they are sinners; 2. that they are lost – i.e.: they can’t save themselves; 3. That Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, took the punishment for their sin; and, 4. That He rose from the dead. That last is vital, because the resurrection is what gives one hope.
You may feel an urgency to see people saved. That’s good. But, remember that you can’t save them, as much as you’d like to. It’s the Holy Spirit which draws them to Him. However, you do have an important job in that. Your job – in addition to telling others about Him – is to be a Godly example. The main reason people like Jay Bell, who was mentioned earlier, become Christians is because of the Godly example someone showed. An example of God’s goodness that said to them, “I want to be like them. I want the peace, the the strength, whatever they have that helps them get through life.”
In order for them to see what that is, they should see you not only knowing God’s Word, but responding to it in what it says, and following it.
