More About Prayer
What I Learn from My Kids
My two-year-old is very thankful. Though it's hard for us mortals to understand her, I love to watch her pray.
"tain oo Gaw for my foo, my chay, 'Cole, Daddy, Mommy, stool, TB, bur, doddy, ca..." and she thanks God for everything she sees.
(Translation: "Thank you God, for my food, my chair, [sister] Nichole, Daddy Mommy, stool, TV, bird, doggy, cat...")
To have the faith of a little child who, to steal a line from the Word, in all things gives thanks - this pleases our Lord. She doesn't conceive of God in the same way we do, but she does know where glory is due. Perhaps that is our problem as grown-ups. We lose that childish simplicty.That simple faith that knows who God is and what He can do - before we forget it all.
Children believe what they are told. Their minds are like sponges soaking up all they see and hear. As aduts, we become more cynical and choose what to believe and what not to. It is a necessary part of life - wihout it we would be easy prey for every con artist around. We would also easily fall for the deception of the Father of Lies.
Still, though, Jesus told us that we are to become as the little children. We must accept His teachings though they are opposite the world's teachings. It is a hard pill to swallow, especially for one trained in the sciences as I was. Science tells me there is no God. Experience tells me there is.
Who is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven? My little girl will be (and your young children as well), though I - with my hard heart and even harder mind - will be much lower than her.
Almighty Father in Heaven, hear our prayer. We confess that we try to understand that which is not understandable - to conceive the inconceivable - to fathom the unfathomable. Our sin is that we try to mold You into our image. Our sin is that we cannot understand You so we try to put you in a box that we can handle. Rather than do as Christ instructed and simply accept what we're told, we try to get our minds around that which we could never grasp. Our child-like faith is damaged and we must reduce it to a tiny portion of the truth.
Father, please forgive us for being unable to understand. We believe. Help our unbelief! Give us the faith our children happily possess. Remove from us the knowledge that keeps us from knowing You. Take from us our will and impose Your own upon us. Mold us back into Your image - the image that was destroyed when sin entered Your creation.
Thank you, Father, for Your lovingkindness that refuses to hold us accountable for our inability to understand. Thank you for nudging us ever so gently to the truth. Thank you for not giving up on us.
In Jesus' Holy Name we pray,
Amen.
My two-year-old is very thankful. Though it's hard for us mortals to understand her, I love to watch her pray.
"tain oo Gaw for my foo, my chay, 'Cole, Daddy, Mommy, stool, TB, bur, doddy, ca..." and she thanks God for everything she sees.
(Translation: "Thank you God, for my food, my chair, [sister] Nichole, Daddy Mommy, stool, TV, bird, doggy, cat...")
To have the faith of a little child who, to steal a line from the Word, in all things gives thanks - this pleases our Lord. She doesn't conceive of God in the same way we do, but she does know where glory is due. Perhaps that is our problem as grown-ups. We lose that childish simplicty.That simple faith that knows who God is and what He can do - before we forget it all.
Children believe what they are told. Their minds are like sponges soaking up all they see and hear. As aduts, we become more cynical and choose what to believe and what not to. It is a necessary part of life - wihout it we would be easy prey for every con artist around. We would also easily fall for the deception of the Father of Lies.
Still, though, Jesus told us that we are to become as the little children. We must accept His teachings though they are opposite the world's teachings. It is a hard pill to swallow, especially for one trained in the sciences as I was. Science tells me there is no God. Experience tells me there is.
The disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.Matthew 18:1-4, NIV
Who is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven? My little girl will be (and your young children as well), though I - with my hard heart and even harder mind - will be much lower than her.
Prayer
Almighty Father in Heaven, hear our prayer. We confess that we try to understand that which is not understandable - to conceive the inconceivable - to fathom the unfathomable. Our sin is that we try to mold You into our image. Our sin is that we cannot understand You so we try to put you in a box that we can handle. Rather than do as Christ instructed and simply accept what we're told, we try to get our minds around that which we could never grasp. Our child-like faith is damaged and we must reduce it to a tiny portion of the truth.
Father, please forgive us for being unable to understand. We believe. Help our unbelief! Give us the faith our children happily possess. Remove from us the knowledge that keeps us from knowing You. Take from us our will and impose Your own upon us. Mold us back into Your image - the image that was destroyed when sin entered Your creation.
Thank you, Father, for Your lovingkindness that refuses to hold us accountable for our inability to understand. Thank you for nudging us ever so gently to the truth. Thank you for not giving up on us.
In Jesus' Holy Name we pray,
Amen.
posted by ClayMan at 2:08 PM
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