It happened again. God used one of my grandchildren to teach and remind me of a wonderful truth about faith and prayer. This time he used my 8-year-old grandson, James, who was sitting next to his other grandmother in church.
He looked up at her, noticed her nose running, and asked, “Are you stuffy?”
“Yes,” she responded.
“Do you have a cold?”
“No.”
Another beat went by while he studied her intently. Then he asked, “Are you sad?” “Yes,” she replied.
“Why are you sad?”
“Because my friend is very sick.”
“Can the doctors and nurses fix her?” he asked. “No,” she answered.
To comfort her, he leaned over and hugged her while rubbing her back. Then he stared off into space for a minute and abruptly got up and whispered something in his mother’s ear. Without another word, he ran as fast as he could in search of “Mr. Ed,” one of the Elders. He was going to be offering prayer requests to God at the end of the service and James felt the urgency to include his Nana’s friend in those prayers.
Child-like Faith
Is it any wonder that Jesus says we must become like little children if we want to enter the kingdom of heaven? (Matthew 18:2-5) James reminded me of this verse. His first instinct, after comforting his grandmother, was to run to God and pray. James believes in the power of prayer and has faith that God hears his prayers. That’s why he goes to him right away. Some call that a “child-like faith,” but I just call it faith. The faith James acted on is the faith all Christians should have. Unfortunately, there are many of us who say we believe in God and in prayer, but what we say doesn’t always line up with our actions.
How many times have you and I said, “All we can do is pray?” Now it may be true that there is nothing more to be done other than pray. However, when we say that, it feels like we are treating prayer as the last resort, instead of our most powerful weapon in battle. Turning to God in prayer should be our first choice, not our last resort. Like James, we should run right away to God in prayer. Too often, we try everything we can in our own power before tapping into God’s power through prayer. Oh, we may pray many quick prayers to God as we deal with the issue, but I believe God wants more than that from us. He wants us to be passionate about approaching Him in prayer.
There is Power in Prayer
God desires us to recognize the power of prayer and be eager to tap into it. He wants us to lay whatever the issue is completely in His hands and have faith in Him to take care of it the best way He sees fit. He will carry our burdens and wants us to bring them all to Him, relieving us of our anxiety and fears. (Philippians 4:6) God knows that when we come to Him in prayer, we will grow closer to Him and experience more of His power in our lives. In short, He knows prayer is good for us. That is why He commands us to be “devoted to prayer.” (Colossians 4:2)
When we pray, we bring all of our requests, cares, and concerns to Him, but we must also be sure to bring our thanks as well. Both the verses in Philippians and Colossians include thanksgiving with our prayers. Even during very difficult circumstances, we have much for which to thank God, especially for the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross.
We have no shortage of concerns to pray about — the pandemic, health problems, jobs, our children, family, friends — and God wants to hear about them all. Follow the example of a little child and put your faith in action. Go on, run to Him. He’s never too busy to listen to your heart, and He’s eager to help.
For more on prayer click HERE.
So true and such an example and reminder. Well written. Thank you.
Anita
Anita, thank you for your kind comment. It’s amazing how much we can learn from the little children around us. I’m thankful every day for the lessons they teach me.