I have SO much to learn about God. Some of my greatest lessons come from children—my own and others’ children that I get the privilege to spend time with. Here are a few lessons on prayer from the kids in my life.

1. There’s No Prayer Too Small

Today, I was teaching a Bible class on prayer and making the point that God invites us to come to Him with everything no matter how piddly it seems to us. As I’m talking, my 3.5-year-old comes to my mind. Just the other day she got the most superficial injury on her arm. A scratch that didn’t even break the skin. She earnestly prayed to God for healing for three days. All the while I consciously had to stop myself from rolling my eyes at the notion of something so small needing prayer. At last, my daughter was willing to remove the bandaid. And when she did, she rejoiced just as earnestly that God had healed her. So today, as I’m teaching and saying things like “there’s no request too piddly for God” and “we actually have a God who wants us to bring ginormous and piddly to Him” I was feeling convicted. I was feeling humbled that my 3.5-year-old had taught me such a faith lesson. That what seems piddly to us is not piddly to Him.  

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:7

2. We Can Trust God to Be There

My 18-month-old son has recently taken to trust falls. He loves to climb and when he gets to where he’d like to be, he simply jumps or falls and has absolutely no level of caution as to whether someone is there to catch him or not. (Thankfully we always have been, though sometimes it requires great agility and quick reflexes from across the room.) We have, by the grace of God, never let him down so he has no reason to doubt that we’ll catch him. I was thinking about this regarding prayer too. That God has never let us down, so we have no reason to doubt or caution that He will be there when we pray. He will hear us. Yet somehow, we do still doubt. We hesitate. We waffle. God, that I might have the faith that takes the leap in prayer, knowing that You will hear me.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8

3. We Can Trust God to Answer

A few weeks ago, we were eating dinner and my daughter said “when my brother gets bigger, can we have a new baby at our house?” We told her it was up to God, not us. So, she bowed her head immediately and prayed “God, when my brother gets a little bigger, can we please have a new baby at our house?” Before even saying “amen” she popped her head up and said “God said yes!” We all laughed at her candor. And right now we don’t know that the answer to that prayer is yes. But she had full confidence that God had heard her and would answer yes. She didn’t need time to consider it because she knows God. She trusts that He will answer her prayers.

“I sought the LORD, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:4

These lessons leave me wanting to be a student of my own children (and most children I meet) to learn how to have a faith like they do. Thankfully, God let’s me have a front row seat on their lives and allows me to see how He’s at work in them every single day. I need it, because I have much to learn about faith.

What faith lessons have you learned from children lately?