Reflection: Further reading: Psalms 145:18
God loves to hear our prayers. Prayer is important. We had an argument at the dinner table the other night. This is far from unusual, of course – family dinners are always challenging with hunger, tiredness and end-of-day feels warring for dominance in all six of us. This particular argument, though, was over who would pray for the meal. My four-year-old son had done so for a few days in a row and was vastly disappointed (he hid under the table in protest) when his 6-year-old sister was allowed a turn. Sigh. Teaching our children to pray is another aspect of daily life which I strive to emphasise. I have by no means mastered this; my efforts to model pray with them are often overtaken by other things. But I want them to know how important it is to talk to God – to go to him and talk to him when they are feeling sad or happy, worried or excited. Nicky Gumbel recently wrote: “Prayer is the most important activity of your life. It is the main way in which you develop a relationship with your Father in heaven”. This is what I want for my children – for them to be confident in their own relationship with God. To be able to trust that he hears their prayers – that he loves to hear their prayers! – and that he answers them, whether it be with a ‘yes’, a ‘no’ or a ‘not yet’.
Question: Take a moment to reflect on the ways in which prayer helps you to “develop a relationship with your Father in heaven”.
Prayer: Dear Father, thank you for your promise that you are near to all who call on you. Thank you that you hear our prayers, and that you love us. Please help me pray to you more, to commit every situation to you. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.