The Prayers of Children
Children praying. What instantly spring to my mind are images of kids kneeling beside their beds, heads bowed, eyes closed (sometimes), while parents and angels watch. Children’s petitions are as varied as the kids who offer them.
Some children pray for personal things, such as passing a science test, seeing a frog, or defeating the class bully.
Some pray for pressing needs, such as the healing of a parent, food for the table, or a father for the family.
Some offer prayers of thanks: for the sunshine, for a mother’s love, or for their country.
Some of my favorite prayers are for assistance: Help Mom not to be grumpy; help me not to be angry; help my dad not to be upset with me when he finds out what I did.
The petitioners have at least one thing in common: All are doing business with the God of the universe.
The lessons we learn from our kids’ prayers aren’t necessarily profound. Usually they are basic ones. But we need a reminder that the basic lessonsGod loves us, God hears us, and God answers prayerare the ones we need to revisit.
Excerpted from Whispering in God’s Ear by Wayne Holmes
Daily Reflection: When was the last time you revisited the basics of prayer?