Skip to main content

Will You Pray With Me?


My kids are all teenagers now, but I can still recall the bedtime routines we had when they were younger. It was pretty much the same routines you have likely had. Brushing of the teeth, reading of books, last hugs and kisses, and mooing like cattle from the living room to the bedroom.

What, you never did that last one? Hmmm, ok. I guess that’s a story for another post. 

Now that my kids are 18, 16, and 13, the routines have changed. For instance, on nights without school, I’m the first to go to bed. But I digress. One routine has remained. And it happens because of my youngest child asking for it every night before she goes to bed. 

Will You Pray With Me?

It’s prayer. Every night she asks us to pray with her. Now I’m not saying she’s more spiritual than her siblings. She would say that, but I’m not saying that. 

In fact, the manner in which she sometimes asks us to pray reveals it. Feels more like her ticket to sleep than an actual desire to approach her Heavenly Father with any thoughts of gratitude. I get that. Sometimes you have nothing left at the end of the day. 

But even so...

She asks us to pray with her. I think I too often forget what a privilege it is to enter the Throne Room and bring my thanks and requests to an All-Knowing God who cares to listen to the sound of my voice. 

I forget the initial miracle that is God willing to bend His ear to hear my ramblings. I forget the sacrifice of Jesus that enables me to bring my broken words, my sin-stained hands, and my wayward-heart to God and be seen as worthy because of Jesus who intercedes. 

I let it slip my mind too easily that when someone asks for prayer, they are reflecting a trust in God, but also a closeness with you. After all, there is no relationship more real and more intimate than the one we should have with God. 

Why Keep This Up?

Aside from the routine we’ve established since they were born, why continue to pray, especially if they don’t always seem eager to do so? I think the answer lies with our need.

I’ve been reading Quiet Talks On Prayer by S.D. Gordon. He makes many great arguments for why and how we should pray. I’ll just share one overarching thought here. 

Throughout Scripture, there are two threads that are unmistakable. 

These two threads everywhere. The one is this - there is an enemy. The second thread is this: the leaders for God have always been men of prayer above everything else.*
So, will you pray with me?



*Quiet Talks on Prayer by S.D. Gordon, p.88

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Studies on the Go...Genesis

To be honest, I had not heard of Studies On The Go before being offered a review copy by my god friends at Youth Worker. But since I’m always looking out for study ideas, I said yes to this opportunity. Studies On The Go by Laurie Polich-Short has 30 studies. This particular edition is on the book of Genesis. Any book of the Bible can be daunting when you’re trying to interest and impact teenagers. But Genesis increases that difficulty due to the many questions that arise on the topic of creation. On top of that, you have the many stories of questionable characters that we often call heroes of the faith. Each study comes with great questions, not mindless Sunday School questions where every answer is Jesus. They also come with an optional activity to take the lesson a step further and create true impact. Add to that a weekly plan for students to go deeper and you have a winner of a study in one little book. If all the book studies are as well done as this one, I’d ...
Post a Comment
Read more

What Are You Capable Of?

I fancy myself to be just like Batman...without the money, the cave, the vendetta, the car and the cool belt. Other than that, we're pretty much the same guy. Does it help my case that I have a boy wonder? It's my son, but I'd take him over a dude in green tights any day. I've also imagined myself to be similar to Superman...you know, but without the super strength, speed, or that thing he can do with his eyes. Oh, and I'm also not from another planet. But he was a reporter and I like to write, though that hasn't been proven much by my blog. At least, not compared to what I used to write. The first time I write this post, it sounded like an apology. But that's not really the message I want to convey. Yes, I wish I were posting more. I also wish I had super strength or a cool utility belt, but those things aren't happening right now either. Maybe some day . The truth is I have been keeping busy. I'm not sitting back, sipping lemonade. I've never c...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Facebook Maybe

Granted, I'm a pastor. I have Type-A tendencies. Ok, my tendencies border on freakish OCD behavior patterns, but... Few things bother me more than the Facebook 'maybe'. I suppose I could go on and on about the grey areas of our society and the refusal of people to accept absolute standards. I could discuss the great need of people to accept that what is wrong for one person is likely wrong for everyone. I should certainly be concerned about mentioning that someone might have sin in their life. But I don't believe the Facebook 'maybe' is quite sin. Perhaps if I were coming up with new sins, I would add this to the list. But alas... Some might think the Facebook 'maybe' did not exist prior to the Internet, but they would be wrong. When I was in high school and asked a girl out on a date, I would normally be told that if they had no other plans, if nobody else called them, if there was nothing good on television and their hair did not need washing, then per...
5 comments
Read more