What Childhood Prayers Teach Us about God’s Goodness - The Crosswalk Devotional - September 19
What Childhood Prayers Teach Us about God’s Goodness
By Hannah Benson
Bible Reading:
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Psalm 103:2-5 ESV).
How quick are we to remember the sins of others when they have wronged us, or to remember the darkest tragedies in our lives? Even if we long to forget the terrible things, they don’t often easily slip from our minds.
Why is it then that we are so quick to forget the goodness of God? Why is it more difficult for us to remember all the good things God has done in our lives? Do we keep count? Do we thank Him for the blessings we take for granted? Do we remember the prayers we so desperately prayed that we are now living?
Do we stop to thank the Lord for those, or do we take them for granted?
I often find myself guilty of this.
I can get so caught up in praying for the next thing that I forget to simply bask in the Lord’s presence and remember everything He has done. There is nothing wrong with praying for something. God loves to hear from us! But He also desires that we cultivate a heart brimming with gratitude, remembering the goodness He has graced our lives with.
When I was a little girl, no more than 7 or 8-years-old, there was a mother cat who’d wandered the neighborhood for a few days, and we’d had a suspicion she’d had kittens somewhere in our backyard. My dad went out to look for them because we weren’t going to leave little helpless kittens alone (if they even existed).
And oh, how I prayed they existed.
I got on my knees behind my mom’s rocking chair, folded my hands, and pleaded with God for a kitten.
It was such a small, yet sincere, request.
Of all the things in life we actually need (jobs, food on the table, clothes), I love the sincerity and simplicity of my prayer as a little girl. Without a care in the world, I asked Him for what I truly wanted.
Told Him how I longed for a kitten.
I believed and hoped my daddy would find kittens so we could both save them and keep one (or two if we were really lucky).
Yet when my dad returned inside the house, he had to break the news to this little girl’s hopeful heart that there were no kittens to be found.
I didn’t understand.
Why didn’t God answer my prayer with a yes when I’d prayed so hard?
I couldn’t see it then, but God knew it wasn’t time.
At the time, we lived in the suburbs. Only when we moved out to the country 2-3 years later did God see fit to bless us with two little kittens, one of whom is now a still very healthy 13-year-old cat.
I also recall when I was a young teenager and prayed so hard for a dog.
For years, our parents told us, “Maybe someday,” but to be honest, none of us knew if it would ever happen.
But in 2020, when the world was thrown into chaos and turmoil, God told our mom that someday was now, and He directed our steps to the perfect little puppy for our family.
Simple prayers.
Yet prayers that God answered in His perfect timing. To be honest, as I reflect on these answered prayers among others, I realize how much I take them for granted. Yes, I’m grateful, but am I as grateful as I should be?
How often do I stop to remember the prayers I prayed that I’m now living?
Not often enough.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
I would challenge you to look at your life right now and reflect: what answered prayers are you living right now?
Perhaps the job you have now, even if it feels stressful at times, is an answer to a prayer you prayed years earlier.
What about your spouse who frustrated you this week? Wasn’t there a time you prayed for a husband or wife from the Lord?
How many times do we take what we once prayed for granted?
Let us resolve, by the grace of God, to cultivate a heart filled with gratitude for all the Lord has done in our lives.
Pray with me: Lord, please forgive us for how quickly we forget Your goodness. Please open our eyes today to see the answered prayers we are living. Help us to slow down to bask in Your presence and thank You for all Your blessings. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.
How did today’s devotional speak to you? Share your thoughts in the Crosswalk Devotional discussion.
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