Pray with Wonder

Children seem to hold the wonder and assurance that we can have access to the God of heaven purely by getting real before Him. That’s the wonder. The language of prayer is simply talking with our Father – no stuffy King-Jamesie English, no formality – just the beauty of exposing a child-like heart.

I heard a deep and wise lady once say “when we don’t know what to pray our words can be like handing wildflowers to Jesus who cleans them up and lays them at the Father’s feet as a sweet bouquet.” He understands it all.

When we pray, we climb into the shelter of His listening love who longs to talk with His children.  If we can somehow leave the adult mess behind and live in the enchanted place of His presence, we can pray with the ease of a child.  Right past the veil . . .

Kids say almost anything to God.  I remember one of ours used to pray “give us this day our jelly bread” and “now I lay me on a heep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep” — I love the crazy-trust within a child’s innocence. I want to be there ~ I want to stay there, in the honest place of a child’s faith when I’m lamenting over a deep need.  And I am now.

There are certain things we need to un-learn when we wonder, when we doubt.  If we replace the should-oughts with the quiet trust to lean on the care of a loving Father we will believe how truly beloved we are.

In the mix of that belovedness we see His faithfulness woven through every line and selah throughout the psalms to reveal the emotions that life is made up of – joy, praise, anger, fear, frustration, doubt, even hatred. Although some sound like dancing in the wind – some sound like whining in the dark, King David took the raw moments of life and wrote them honestly on half the psalm-pages.  And those sacred writings are the best tool to teach us to pray.

And so are children.  May we pray and believe like the ones who teach us.

Oh Lord, my heart is not lifted up – my eyes are not raised too high.  I do not occupy myself with things too great and marvelous for me.  I have calmed and quieted my soul like a weaned child with its mother – like a weaned child is my soul within.  Psalm one-thirty-one.

I have a beautiful friend, Jessie Seneca.  She is the founder of More of Him Ministries and will be holding a REAL MOM CONFERENCE this Saturday March 11th.  It’s not too late to get your registration in – visit her at www.moreofhiministries.org  It’s my privilege to be sharing “Praying Through the Seasons of Motherhood” – because my kids taught me how . . .