Skating Through Prayer
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1 John 5:14)
As a young mother I sometimes found it exhausting. There seemed to be a continual droning of chatter and requests from tiny voices needing or wanting something. Oftentimes it felt like an endless sea of “Can we have…? “ “Can we get…?” “Can we go?” and “Can we do? When my daughter was six years old, she really wanted a pair of roller skates. We could not afford them, yet each day she relentlessly asked, “Mom, can I get roller skates?” In a heightened state of frustration I flippantly spouted out, “Just go pray about it! If Jesus wants you to have roller skates He’ll get them for you.” OK, so maybe that wasn’t my finest parenting moment, but she did stop asking. Weeks later while driving the kid’s home from school, I missed the turn into our neighborhood. Before long a tiny voice from the back seat asked, “Mom, where are we going?” By the time I realized it, I had traveled some blocks from home and found myself nearing a strip mall with a Salvation Army Store. So I told the kids we’d stop in to see if there was anything interesting. The kids giggled and ran ahead to the toy section, as I followed behind. When I caught up with them, my daughter was standing there, bright-eyed, smiling, with her hands precariously behind her back. “What are you doing?” I asked. To my amazement (and conviction) she presented a brand new, no scuff marks, bright white pair of roller skates (in her size nonetheless). Looking me square in the eye with childlike faith she said, “Look Mom, Jesus heard my prayer. These are my roller skates.” Who was I to argue with God, let alone a six year old child who just had a powerful experience of answered prayer? God used that moment to teach a young child (and a grown child) that He is intimately acquainted with us, (Psalm 139:3), desires childlike faith (Luke 18:15-17) and is ready to hear (Psalm 116:1) and bless. (Psalm 115:13). It never was about the skates. It was about a child learning that God is bigger than life and a Mom learning to stop letting life be bigger than her God.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, increase my childlike faith. You are a loving Father who delights in His children. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.