The hospital room was quiet except for the steady beeping of the monitor beside the bed. Eight-year-old Emily lay beneath a white blanket. Her face was pale, and a small IV ran into her arm. Her mother, Patricia, sat beside the bed holding her daughter’s hand.
Across the room, Emily’s father, David, stood looking through the window. He had spent the last several days trying to remain strong, but fear had begun to take hold of his heart. The doctors had discovered that Emily was seriously ill. They were running tests and trying different treatments, but no one could tell the family exactly what would happen.
Patricia looked at her daughter. “I don’t know,” she whispered. Just then, Emily opened her eyes. “Mommy?” she answered, “Yes, sweetheart?”
“Can we pray?” David turned from the window. “Patricia, we’ve prayed and prayed. Why isn’t God answering?”
Patricia smiled through her tears. “Of course we can.” Emily closed her eyes and folded her little hands. “Dear Jesus,” she prayed, “please make me better. I don’t like being sick. Please help the doctors. And please help Mommy and Daddy not be scared.” Then she stopped. “Jesus, I know You can make me better.”
David’s eyes filled with tears. Emily continued. “And if You don’t make me better right away, please stay with me.” Then she smiled. “Amen.”
David turned away and wiped his eyes. A few minutes later, their pastor, Brother James, walked into the room. After greeting the family, he sat beside David. “How are you doing?”
David shook his head. “I’m scared, Brother James. I’m praying, but I don’t know what God is going to do.”
Brother James looked toward Emily. “Sometimes we can learn something about prayer from children.”
David looked at him. “What do you mean?”
“Listen to how Emily prayed. She asked God for what she wanted. She believed He could do it. But she also trusted Him if the answer didn’t come the way she expected.” Brother James opened his Bible. “Jesus said in Matthew 18:3, ‘Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.’”
David nodded slowly. “Childlike faith.”
“Exactly,” Brother James said. “Childlike faith doesn’t mean childish thinking. It means trusting our Heavenly Father even when we don’t understand what He’s doing.”
David looked at his daughter. “I want that kind of faith.”
Brother James placed a hand on his shoulder. “Then pray like your daughter prayed. Ask boldly. Believe God can answer. But remember that God is still God when the answer doesn’t always come the way we expect.”
Brother James turned to another passage. Philippians 4:6-7 says: “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
David looked at Emily. “So we’re supposed to pray and then leave it with God?”
“Yes,” Brother James answered. “Prayer isn’t giving God instructions. Prayer is giving God our burdens.”
That night, David knelt beside Emily’s hospital bed. He took her hand. “Lord,” he prayed, “please heal my little girl. I believe You can. I believe You are able. But Father, I’m also asking You to help me trust You with whatever happens. I don’t understand this, but You do.”
He paused. “Lord, I give Emily to You.”
Emily opened her eyes. “Daddy?”
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“Jesus is going to take care of me.”
David smiled through his tears. “Yes, sweetheart. He is.”
The following morning, the doctors came in with encouraging news. Emily’s condition had begun to improve. The treatment was working, and they were hopeful she would continue to recover.
David thanked God. But something had changed inside him. He realized that his peace hadn’t come from knowing what the doctors would say. His peace came from knowing who was in control.
Several weeks later, Emily was home. She was still recovering, but she was getting stronger every day. One evening, David watched his daughter playing quietly in the living room. He turned to Patricia.
“Do you remember when I asked why God wasn’t answering our prayers?” Patricia nodded.
“I thought an answered prayer meant getting exactly what I wanted. And now?” David smiled. “Now I understand that sometimes the answer is healing. Sometimes it’s strength. Sometimes it’s peace. And sometimes God simply reminds us that we’re never alone.”
He opened his Bible and read Matthew 7:11: “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”
Emily ran over and climbed into her father’s lap. “Daddy, can we pray?” David hugged her. “Absolutely.” Emily folded her hands. “Dear Jesus, thank You for making me better. Thank You for Mommy and Daddy. And thank You for taking care of me.”
David closed his eyes. This time, he understood. Faith doesn’t mean knowing what tomorrow will bring. Faith means knowing who holds tomorrow. When we pray, we don’t have to understand everything. We don’t have to know how God will answer. We simply need to come to our Heavenly Father, ask, believe, and trust Him.
Jesus said in Mark 11:24: “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Maybe the question we need to ask ourselves is this: Are we praying like adults who are trying to control the outcome—or are we praying like children who know their Father is in control?
A child may not understand everything his father is doing. But a child who knows his father loves him can rest in his father’s arms. And when we truly know our Heavenly Father, we can do the same.
If you’re dealing with an overwhelming and tough situation in life, it’s time to hand it over to God. Maybe it’s time to pray like a child. Take a moment right now and pray.
Please… if you don’t have a relationship with Christ or have fallen away, please pray… Tell God you believe His Son Jesus paid for your sins and rose again. Tell God you are sorry and want to start Living for Him. He will forgive your sins and mistakes and give you Everlasting Life with Him… and place His Spirit deep within your heart. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
I pray that God will truly Help and Bless you. If you would like for me to pray with you, please email me at Bob.L@magnificentPromises.com.
May God Bless and Keep! Bob
I thank you for reading my blog. I do not claim to be any expert or affiliated with any religious organization. All I can say is that I’m affiliated with my Lord Jesus Christ. This is one man’s opinion and observations. My hope is I stirred up some thoughts for you to think about. There is one place that we can find all the answers to life. That road map is Commonly known as the Bible. If you want the answers to life all you have to do is read. If you would like me to pray with you or want to send a comment, please email me at Bob.L@magnificentpromises.com
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
