Many parents at some point sort through keepsakes from their children’s younger years. After helping with my parents’ things, I’m tackling our own accumulation. But in addition to actual “stuff,” I have many prayer journals, including notes that trigger poignant memories of my kids’ childlike faith.
When our older kids were around eight and four years old, our family had been through a tough time financially; things were improving, but still tight. Driving to Ashley’s school one day, our car suddenly hesitated and then died completely. I was able to pull over and finally got it restarted, but it sounded like a bad case of pneumonia, with barely enough power for the slightest incline. As I muttered, “Oh no, this sounds expensive,” my daughter said, “Mom, why don’t we pray?”
Although tempted to just explain that cars sometimes require repair, I prayed that God would help us identify the problem and it wouldn’t be too expensive. As we walked into the church, Ashley added, “Or, God, maybe you could just heal the car.”
Leaving the school, the car started fine and ran with plenty of power A trip to the mechanic revealed a filter needing replacement and a slight carburetor adjustment, but nothing likely to have caused such sudden issues, and that car ran for thousands more miles. Did God heal something major? I’ll never know, but my daughter learned that God cares about our needs.
That lesson stuck with her. A year later, I was pregnant with our youngest child and feeling pretty rough one day when we noticed a bad smell. Staggering into the bathroom, I found unmistakable signs of a backed-up toilet drain and headed back to the couch to call my dad since my husband was at work. Then, I heard the kids praying: “Okay, God, you know my mother doesn’t feel like dealing with this! In the name of Jesus, this mess needs to go DOWN!”
Guess what? It did, with a “whoosh,” and when my husband checked later, it was fine.
Brian had his own prayer experience when we saw a poster announcing that during an upcoming airshow in Harrison, eight lucky people could win a ride on a restored vintage DC3. Brian desperately wanted that plane ride; he filled out the card and prayed daily. We explained that many people were likely entering; he just prayed harder. The morning of the festival, Brian bounced out of bed yelling, “Today’s my airplane ride!” And it was! His name was the second one drawn. We were a little hesitant signing the liability waiver for our five-year-old, but after God came through, how could we not?
Over the years, our kids learned that God’s timing does not always equal ours—when Grandma succumbed to cancer, or special plans didn’t materialize. They have also learned to look forward to eternity with the Lord, with no pain or troubles. Brian, now a worship pastor, prayed for healing as his wife struggled through pregnancy complications, while still saying “Thy will be done.” Gilbert was born at 24 weeks, spent 149 days in NICU, and is progressing well; yet for some of their friends, the NICU journey ended sadly.
In Mark 10:15, we read Jesus’ words, “Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it” (NIV). I can’t explain all our experiences, but I do know those childhood prayers taught my kids that a loving God hears their prayers, and they can trust Him for the outcome.
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