“Always keep praying." ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:17
Sonya planted cherry-pie kisses on
the sweet, gentle child sitting on her lap.
Paige giggled like only a child can. It was that infectious kind of laugh that
lights up adults - like an echo of the children they once were. When her expression took a more curious tone,
grandma knew an important question was about to surface.
“Grammie,” she began.
“Where do prayers go? How do my
prayers find their way to God?”
Paige always asked lots of questions, but Sonya was
completely unprepared for this one. Three
quick thoughts emerged.
First, she wanted
to be consistent with what her parents had told the youngster. Second, while Sonya had attended dozens of
Bible studies and should be able to nail this question, she needed to answer
the question at a level Paige could comprehend. Third, and most important, Sonya
didn’t want to say anything that she’d have to ‘unsay’ later.
Sonya smiled and looked into the adoring eyes of her
innocent grandchild. “It depends on
which prayer you say honey. When you say
a blessing for the food you eat, the blessing doesn’t go anywhere; it just
stays with you in your mind and makes you feel thankful and blessed. When you sing a song from the Bible, it goes
to your heart and makes you feel happy and strong. That’s what my grandmother told me.”
Satisfied momentarily, Paige asked “Will God answer all
my prayers?”
“Oh yes, dear,” Sonya replied. “He answers every single prayer with either
yes, no, or not yet.”
Feeling liked she had nailed it, Sonya continued. “Getting a “yes” is wonderful. It’s exactly what you wished for. But, you can’t always get what you want.
“No” is tougher to take and even harder to hear. What’s good about “no,” though, is that God
promises to help you deal with any situation.
Most of the time God says “not yet.” He has a very special plan for you Paige, and you
need to be patient and trust God to work in your life. It’s hard sometimes, but you still have to
try.”
Fearing the question were getting more challenging, Sonya
decided to turn the table. “Paige, do
you know where God lives?”
The child thought for a moment, then said emphatically, “Grandma,
you should know the answer to that one?”
Decide ahead of time as a parent that you won’t freak out
when your child challenges you and questions God. Or your teenager tells you that Christianity
isn’t different than any other religion.
Thank them for the question.
Explore it with them. Ask them
questions. And reach out to a wider
circle of influence that can help them process what they’re going through. Make your home a safe place where doubts can
be expressed. You just might foster
belief as a result.
“Jesus, are you really there? Do you hear and answer every child’s prayer? Some say that heaven is far away, But I feel
it close around me as I pray.” ~
Janice Kapp Perry
