Faith of a child

I just spent the last two hours making felt characters for the preschool class of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. After I was finished I told the story to my 6 and 3 year old. Of course when I was finished my 6 year old decided that she would tell it back to me.

She said, "Is this King Herrod?" I told her, "No, it is King Nebuchadnezzar." She just looked at me very puzzled. I told her just to call him King N. She said, "I think I will just call him King Herrod." When she started her story she said, "There were three men, Jonah, Jared and Jad." ???? I asked her later why did you give the men those names? She thought two of them looked like a Jonah and a Jared she knows. The third one had crazy hair so she didn't know what to call him so she called him Jad (rhymes with Chad). Other than confussing the names, a lot, she told the story very well. Except that she said the king heated up the furnace 10 times more instead of 7. . .yikes.

It is so much fun to listen to the faith of a child. She also told me she would never bow down to the statue, either. (But that was before we got to the furnace part) Tonight she asked to pray before bed. I love listening to her. She prays for everyone that has been sick, even those that were sick about 6 months ago. She remembers all of their names. One of my favorite lines she prays, "God you are so powerful." Tonight she said, "God you are wonderful, thank you for the wonderful things that happened today. Help us to have a wonderful day tomorrow."

I know that when she prays, she has no doubt that God will answer her prayers. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. Matthew 21:22. I know by listening to her prayers that she is listening to us when we pray, and she is listening to her teachers at church pray. She has taught me that you can be a prayer warrior at age 4. She has stopped me before to pray when I have told her about someone that needs it.

I remember being 21 years old and still going to bed at night and saying, "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, and if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take." I didn't really know how to pray any other way. It amazes me that my girls can and do pray for anything and everything that is on their hearts.

In fact the other night at the supper table, my 3 year old wanted to pray. This was her prayer, "Dear Jesus, thank you for this food. Blah, Blah, Blah, Amen." It was impossible not to burst out in laughter. I am sure God was laughing, too.

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 11:18-20