Philippians Chapter 4

"​Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7, NIV)

A Prayer for My Daughter

Help my child stand firm in the Lord and to rejoice always. Give her a spirit of gentleness. May she not struggle with anxiety but seek you with a thankful heart in prayer and petition. ...

Guard her mind with Your peace. Meet all her needs, oh God, and teach her the secret to contentment. Fill her mind with all that is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. May her mind dwell on what is praiseworthy and excellent. Show her Lord how to live out her faith and may, You, oh Lord, give her the strength to do all things in You, through You and by Your power. 

​Be careful what you pray for my dear friends and fellow parents, for what you pray may not only come true, but come to fruition with lightening-speed. In the early morning blackness, I sought our Heavenly Father on Sweet one’s behalf, praying that the soil of her heart might be tilled in readiness for the planting of good seed. Imagine my surprise when several deep theological conversations transpired before midday.

“Mommy, what is God the Father, three in one?” puzzled my preschooler after listening to the old familiar hymn of Holy, Holy, Holy.

​Startled by her question, I gulped, uttered a silent prayer, paused, and plunged in. I silently thanked God for the timing of this question coinciding with the lesson in class from the previous day about solid, liquid, and gas. Unsure whether Sweet one would understand the spiritual applications, I proceeded by faith to explain the Trinity using her new knowledge of solid, liquid, and gas, trusting that God would enlighten her heart and mind with understanding and that He would use my stammering’s to sow good seeds. 

Finishing this conversation, I wiped the figurative beads of sweat from my forehead. Whew! I thought, I got through that! But Sweet girl wasn’t finished yet. 

“Mommy, I prayed out loud in class yesterday,” informed Sweet girl.

Once again, a took a deep breath and dove in. Somehow, the topic of prayer in schools emerged. I kept thinking, Am I really having this conversation already with my preschooler? I am not sure who was more dazed by the conversation end, she or me. But, regardless, Sweet girl now knew without question, that she could pray anywhere she desires, whether that be out loud, quietly, or inwardly.

​After popping in a CD which Sweet One had requested so to listen to one of her favorite Christian children songs, “The B-I-B-L-E,” I prepared lunch for a hungry little girl and her mommy. Thinking my quota of theological dialogues with Sweet girl were now met and finished, I was unprepared for the next onslaught. 

“Why do I only watch my favorite DVD on preschool days?” inquired Little girl, munching on a banana peanut butter sandwich. Sweet girl was trying to figure out why we limited the screen time exposure to her favorite DVD.

I took another deep breath. “Well, Mommy and Daddy have the awesome responsibility to make sure that what you watch and hear are good, Godly, and life giving.” Little girl looked at me with serious eyes. “Your favorite DVD is fun but it is not teaching you about God or spiritual, life-giving truths.” I explained, searching for words she would 
understand.

“It is fine to watch fun and imaginative DVDs some of the time," I said, "but in our house, we don’t want you to watch them every day or that these are the only ones that you watch. We want to fill your mind with what is true, noble, right, and pure.” 

She looked puzzled. I tried again. “Remember the song we sang earlier? The B-I-b-l-e, yes that’s the book for me, I stand upon the word of God, the B-I-b-l-e.” She nodded her head with a smile. “The song says, ‘I stand upon the word of God.’ And that is why we let you watch DVDs that contain scripture or praise songs, this is why we read you the Bible every evening. Because we want you to be able to stand upon a firm foundation. God and His word will give you a firm foundation and rock that you can stand upon all the days of your life. Fun does not give you a firm footing, but God will always stand under you and with you. Does that make sense?” I looked doubtfully at my little girl.

She nodded her head. “God is….” She searched her mind for a moment, “God is God,” she slowly said. "He is real, not imaginary like my favorite DVD.”

​I smiled and nodded my head vigorously, both surprised and relieved that she was seemingly grasping my meaning. 

“God is humble,” she continued. “He is strong and can do anything.” She began to get excited. “He can move mountains!” she enthused; “He is so big!” Then the words of a familiar children’s song poured out of her mouth, “He is so mighty, there’s nothing that God cannot do! The mountains are His, the rivers are his,” words streamed out of her mouth, “and he can move mountains!” she repeated. Then another thought struck her, “Nothing is impossible with God!” she exclaimed, voice climbing higher and quoting her most recent Sunday school lesson.

“That’s right!” I said, laughing and reaching over to hug little girl close. “And wouldn’t you want God who is so mighty, so strong, who can do anything and even move mountains, on your side, walking with you and before you?”

“Yes, mommy!” she agreed, beaming up at me as she leaned into my embrace.

After Sweet one was tucked in for the night, I collapsed in a chair beside my husband. “Why am I so exhausted?” I moaned. My mushy brain and weary body sagged like a limp noodle devoid of starch or life.

“I don’t know,” he absentmindedly answered. “What did you do today?”

​Then, like a time traveler, my mind instantly traversed back to my morning prayer where I had prayed for opportunities to till the soil of my daughter’s heart. All the morning conversations with my daughter flooded back to me with startling clarity. “No wonder,” I laughed, smiling and shaking my head. My husband looked at me mystified. “Just be careful what you pray for dear,” I warned, “you may just get exactly what you prayed for.”

A Prayer for Myself

Oh Lord, fill my mouth with your wisdom and Your truth. Open my eyes to see and take advantage of opportunities to share Your word and Your ways. Give me courage and strength to do what is right. Use me as a model of Christ’s love to my family. May Your light shine as bright as the most brilliant of stars in the universe through my words, actions, and behaviors.