Like a Loving Parent

Many years ago now, my family was at a small group church gathering. At the end of our time together, my daughter Marley who was five at the time wanted to return to the playground. However, it was time to go and her mom said, “No honey, we’re getting ready to leave. We’ve got to get packed up and we’re going to have a prayer and we need to be a part of that.” I remember Marley just pleading to back on the playground, but the answer was still no.

We all got back together and shared prayer concerns, some of which were pretty deep. I offered to pray, but just at that moment, Marley broke in and said, “Hey, I want to go.” I asked her if she wanted to be the one to pray. “No,” she said, “I want to share.” OK. So she spoke up, “Everybody pray for me. My mommy’s mean!”

Most of us parents have been there. We love our children and we want the best for them. And so there are times when we have to say no – even when our children don’t understand why.

Sometimes it is hard for me to understand why God might say no – especially when the requests are desperate and heartfelt, even in line with what I know about God’s will. Sometimes in hindsight, I’ve gained clarity. But there are many unanswered prayers that I still don’t understand.

I remember my friend Charlie Landreth talking about his grandmother. As a child, she would put him on her lap and read to him, sometimes from the Bible, sometimes from a book. “Trust the Lord with all your heart”, she would say. Charlie said, “It’s been almost a whole lifetime since that early instruction and I am still learning to trust the Lord. You see, I’m a slow learner.”

Aren’t we all Charlie? Aren’t we all?

Let us pray: Loving God, we trust that you are as good as Jesus tells us you are – that you are forgiving and merciful and compassionate. You are holy and sacred and more than our human minds can grasp. So we ask you to grant us the grace we need this day, to know your love, and to accept it. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.