Thursday, October 16, 2008

Praying like a child



My daughter said her first prayer last Sunday. It went something like this, “Mumble, mumble, Jesus. (peek at Mommy to see if I’m doing this right) Amen!” It was a very proud day for my family. Since Sunday, she has been praying all the time. On the way home from work the other day, she prayed from Mandeville to Lacombe. While her first prayer was pretty simple, her prayers have become more elaborate. She prays for family members, her kitty cats and her dolls. She prayed for her daddy to come home from work and for her poppa to “feel better”. She thanked God for the satsumas that her grandma brought. What amazes me is her simple faith and how easy her prayers flow.
How often do we make prayer more difficult than it needs to be? Is prayer a struggle for you or is it like talking to a friend? My Baptist upbringing led me to believe that prayers needed to be flowery with lots of fancy words. After listening to years of deacons and pastors praying long-winded, poetic prayers, a person can get a complex. God wants us to pray to him. He desires us to come to him as children in simple faith. Spend time today in the arms of our Father. Praise Him for Who He is. Thank Him for His blessings big and small. Ask for His forgiveness for your failures. Give Him your burdens and know that He loves you and will not forsake you. Blessings to you!