My sweet grandson, Aiden is spending his “spring break” week at our house! Oh, how wonderful it is to be around such a well-mannered and thoughtful child. I don’t want it to go to Dianne’s head too much, but he really is a delight to be around. One of the things that has really touched me this time is the development of his prayer life. I know that many children grow up repeating the “God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food” and the “Now I lay me down to sleep. . .” prayers. And while I don’t believe there is anything sinful about teaching young children to pray using someone else’s words, it is so powerful to hear a six year old pour his heart out before the Lord.
Aiden starts out every prayer with “Dear God, I love you.” How sweet is that? I know how I feel when he spontaneously says, “Gammy, I love you.” I can just imagine God smiling every time He hears his children tell Him that they love Him. He then starts thanking God for his Mommy and Daddy, Gammy and PaPaw, and usually various pets. Do you take the time to thank God specifically for your loved ones by name? Aiden always thanks God for his wonderful day. (Today was the BEST day of his whole life! Who knew? lol) No matter what kind of day we feel we may have had – the Lord has blessed us with another day, and that’s pretty wonderful, isn’t it? If Aiden is leading the prayer before a meal, we often have to remind him to thank God for the food. This, too, is typical of us grownups at times. We become so busy with what we were doing, what we’re doing right now, and what we plan to do that we often forget to thank God for the “little things” that we enjoy each and every day. How long has it been since you’ve thanked God for your clothes (and a washer and dryer to keep them clean!), your recliner, or that you have a car to drive? Aiden always ends his prayers once more with “I love you, God. In Jesus name, Amen.”
May you pay close attention to your prayers tonight. Simply blessed, Courtney