Pray like a child with your child in tears

When my child is crying, my prayers are different.

They have a problem and I can’t fix it. I take it to our Father in heaven. He loves my child more than I do. He has all power at His disposal. The words I pray feel like they really matter.

Prayer feels risky

When I pray with my child, there is someone else listening, someone else who will be watching to see how (and whether) my prayers are answered. These prayers feel like a big risk. It’s not just my fears that are being held in God’s palm. To my imperfect faith, it feels like the next day (because our children usually want quick answers) will see my child’s faith grow or shrink dependent on God’s decision.