suggestive praying..

if you have visited our house lately you would know that lucy is adamant about saying meal time prayers.  her sweet little voice offers prayers of thanksgiving for the food, for everyone present at the table, and everyone in the whole world.  recently, she has taken to doing something that i call "suggestive praying." example: today before lunch she asked me, "mama, can we go on a walk after nap time?" i said, "we will see how the afternoon looks luce. katie has a lot of school to finish up."  fast forward to lunch time.. lucy's prayer, "dear God, thank you for this day, thank you for the food, thank you for mama, daddy, katie, julia, anderson, and lucy. thank you for the sunshine outside and that we get to go on a walk after nap time if mama will let us!*extended pause, glance up at mama to see if mama heard me*  amen." i almost snorted i was laughing so hard.

but like all things when interacting with children, you have to ask the standard val hall question, "how does this relate to my relationship with God?" oh, there is application. MUCH application. many times we come before the MOST holy God with our grocery store list of requests. and as we go down our lists, our minds and hearts are often VERY far from the words we are speaking. other times, we feel like prayer is a tool of persuasion. if i pray just right, with just enough persuasive phrases and beautiful accolades then God will hear me and i will get what i want. prayer is neither a place for grocery lists of persuasive speeches. rather, it's an intimate time to HEAR from the Lord. to beg Him to reveal Himself to us that we might KNOW Him, and that He might show us what and how to pray. we have made prayer so normal and so everyday, that sometimes we forget whom we are communing with. sometimes we forget with whom we are speaking. He is HOLY, so Holy in fact that no one has ever seen His face. and those that have come even slightly close to seeing Him have fallen to their faces. He is to be revered and high and lifted up. not a genie in a bottle that has to be rubbed the right way. not a judge who needs persuasion from well spoken lawyers in expensive suits. He needs a humble heart and a contrite spirit.

enjoy pics of my suggestive prayer and her partner in crime.
~s
no joke, this is how her face looks when she prays.