I wish I’d thought of this example when my cousins asked me that once. I should have prayed like I did later. But, when I tried to answer it myself, I was fumbling around. I did just what the child in this example does.
Say you have a small child. You know he needs to get dressed. You know how to dress him. You know how to get those hands through the tiny sleeve holes, how to tie shoes, everything. You really want to help.
But, that child refuses. He could say “help me.” Instead, he tries to do it himself. Before you know it, an arm and his head are through the neck hole. His pants are on backwards, with both legs through one pant leg. His snaps are not lined up. You wouldn’t be surprised if his socks were on his ears!
This is a picture of us when we don’t pray. Oh, sometimes, we just happen to do the right thing, without God’s help. But, more often than not, we mess up. Sometimes it’s little – like the snaps that aren’t lined up. Sometimes it’s big, like the backwards pants.
When my cousins asked me about prayer years ago, my answer was okay, like those snaps, so they understood. But it wasn’t the best.
We’ll come back to this when it comes time to talk about giving kids choices and letting kids live with consequences. For now, hopefully you understand a little better about why we pray. God knows what we need, but He’ll wait patiently till we realize we need His help. He’ll help along the way, of course – like you might hand the child in the example his shirt or pants. Or, you might make suggestions. But, till he asks for help, you won’t be pulling those pants or shirt on for him. He’s just going to keep fumbling.
Now, let’s get into how to ask God for that help.
