The prayers of a child

“The point of prayer is not to get answers from God, but to have oneness with Him. If we pray only because we want answers, we will become irritated and angry with God.”
Oswald Chambers

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
The angels watch me through the night,
Until I wake in morning light.

God is great, God is good,
Now we thank Him for this food.

We are taught at an early age to pray. Many of us were taught to say these prayers and many others. What would happen if we were taught to pray like this at an early age?

“One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple…
My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’ Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
Psalm 27:4, 8

“How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—a place near your altar,
O Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.”
Psalm 84:1-4

Some of the words of these prayers are a little too deep for someone my 5 year-old’s age, but the concept is something I have heard him pray several times. One night in his prayers he said to God that he can’t wait to see him someday. In his prayer he tried to explain to God what he thought he looked like. My son’s thoughts in his prayer life have started leaning towards the idea of God and a relationship with him, instead of just thank you for mommy, daddy … He has begun talking to God. Just talking. Isn’t that how we should all be? A relationship with someone involves an ongoing conversation most of the time. It involves time. So many people who have been spiritual giants throughout time, such as Martin Luther, George Fox, and Richard Foster were known for their time spent in prayer. Martin Luther actually said, “I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer.” This time was made up of interceding for others like we did today, it was made up of prayers of thanks, of asking for help in situations, and also just a time of conversation with his God.

How do you pray? Do you have time set aside for your prayer life? Just being honest, I have to say that there have been times over the years where I felt like I was not praying anything deeper than my childhood prayers. If you feel that way now, or just don’t know where to begin, maybe it’s time you started setting aside time to just be with God. Sit in silence and get rid of the distractions and allow God to start a conversation with you that will never end.

Jason