I love praying with children. Their prayers are honest and unpracticed. They haven’t learned all the religious sounding words yet. I have noticed this particularly with my six-year-old daughter. She hasn’t developed the prayer phrases yet of “I pray for…” or “I pray that You would…” Instead, she starts her phrases thanking God for what she is asking for. For example, she might say, “Thank You, God, that we are going to have a good day tomorrow.” I think because I usually start my prayers with thanking God, she has copied that pattern in her own way. “Thank You God that we can please go to the pool tomorrow.” “Thank You God that my friend will feel better.” As I listen to her pray, I realize I can learn from her way of praying. She doesn’t mean to but her prayers sound a lot more believing than mine do sometimes. There is something in her prayer that sounds so much like faith. It stirs in me a hunger for more of what she is unknowingly demonstrating…a worshipful thankful heart that gives thanks in advance for what she is believing will come.

What if my prayers called out and gave thanks more frequently? It would probably do my soul good. Prayers like, “Thank You God that You will provide all that I need today.” “Thank You, Lord, that You will never leave me. You walk every step with me.” “Thank You that You will reveal any areas I need to ask confess and You will create in me a clean heart.” 

As I allow my faith to be encouraged by the prayers of my sweet little six-year-old, I reflect on the promises in Palms 37:23-24, “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.” Here is another good verse that we can in faith prayer back to our good God.