Learning to Pray

From an early age, basically from when the girls began talking, we have been teaching them how to pray. At first it was quite simple... some "Thank You God's" and "God Blesses." We were teaching them to talk to God and to share their days and the people for whom they give thanks.

As they were able, we added to those prayers the memorized "Now I lay me" prayer (with angels watching through night). This prayer developed for Josie with her own traditions of making "finger crosses" by linking her finger with ours.

Most recently with Josie, we have added a new element of prayer and faith: Where have you seen God at work today? Or sometimes phrased as, "Where was God today?" After a week of this, I am continually blown away by some of Josie's thoughtful and heartfelt responses. Out of respect for Josie and her private prayers, I won't share those responses here, but know that they represent a child who is certainly tuned in to how God stregnthens and empowers her. Such prayers are music to our ears, just as I know they make God's heart sing.

What teaching our girls to pray has reminded me is that prayer is simple. As grown ups, we tend to make prayer too difficult. We worry a lot about praying "right" and praying long enough. But prayer is meant to be a simple converstation with God where we each take time to speak and listen (the latter being the more difficult part!). There is no need for long sentences and four-plus syllable words. It may not work for us to block out hours of our schedule to pray each day. Prayer is simply the words of our heart shared with God in whatever way works for us.

As we teach our girls to pray, I hope we are able to express that our prayers can happen outside the confines of bedtime and the supper table. I hope they grow to know an active God and that they are able to stay in constant conversation with God through their days (and eventually, allowing God a chance to talk, too!). I hope, that not unlike me, they continue to learn more of how to pray and relate to God each and every day.

I saw it written once, but I can't remember by whom: "Prayer is native to our souls. We are each born to pray." My prayer this day is that as we raise our girls, that prayer would not just be native to their souls, but be known and relied upon.

On another, yet similar note, Norah's prayers the other night are worth sharing (I can get into the double standard of sharing her prayers but not Josie's another time...). She thanked God for her day, for significant people in her life, for Jesus, and for her stinky feet. And there in that moment, I knew God smiled with us.