Praying with Jasper

For some time we’ve been praying with Jasper before meals and before he sleeps at naptime and at bedtime.  At meals he has in the past sometimes wanted to pray himself.  He would say

“thank you, Jesus, for the fire trucks.  Let them get to the emergency because every second counts.  Amen.”

At naptime I try to be consistent in thanking God for our lunch (since lunchtime is hectic and I don’t always sit with them or take time at the beginning of the meal to pray), praying for daddy at work, for our neighbors and for the boys to have good naps.  I have often prayed above his level, hoping to get him used to thinking about such things.  He always asked to pray for “everyone and our neighbors” at each prayer time.  Lately he’s been restless during prayer time, so today I suggested that he pray by himself.  I gave him an example of what he could pray for (our top four things) and how to say it (like we do every day but much simpler).  Then he said “no, you pray” a few times until I could convince him to pray on his own.  Then he did.  He said,

“Thank you, Jesus, for our lunch. 

Thank you for daddy’s job and bless it. 

Thank you for our neighbors. 

Please help Benjamin and Jasper to have a good night sleep.” 

I was so proud!  I hugged him and said I didn’t need to add anything to it since he had prayed so well.  Then I tucked him in and came almost running out to the computer to share it with Drew.  Drew was thrilled! (I think that’s putting it mildly.) 

Our primary prayer for him - above healing his GI, getting potty trained, keeping him from harming his brother, taking away his allergies to nuts, etc.  … the thing we have prayed more than anything else for Jasper (and Benjamin) is that God would draw them to Him and that they would become sons of God. 

We see how Jasper is learning about God and Jesus from Sunday school at church and from reading to him, praying with him and talking with him about the Bible and God.  He’s lately been telling us stories from his “bible” (any flip chart type thing he can get his hands on – usually a pad of post-it notes at the kitchen table).  Yesterday it was the Easter story: “Jesus died on the cross for our sins and then he rose from the dead.”  Literally, those were his words.  It really is a thrill to see how he’s growing in maturity (yes, even at 3!) and in his understanding of his Creator.  Amen!