One Sunday morning Adelyn sat in my lap. Just over two, she was wiggly and interactive, not always the best combo in church. Our pastor, her daddy, welcomed the congregation and then asked us to bow our heads and join him in prayer. Adelyn bowed her head and snuggled into my shoulder as her daddy prayed. He prayed for our city, for our church, and he prayed for each of us.
"Lord, you know we don't always have our ducks in a row ..."
In my lap Adelyn squirmed, and joined him in prayer, "Quack, quack, quack..."
While her daddy prayed for us to be able to come to Jesus in our frailty, without pretense, and without our ducks in a row, Adelyn quacked.
I didn't feel the need to take her out or shush her. Instead I smiled. She's listening to prayer! Even engaging in prayer!
That morning, Adelyn led me in worship. As she "quack, quack, quacked," I learned more deeply about coming to Jesus.
"Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" the disciples asked Jesus.
Jesus smiled at one of the children darting among the grown-ups and called him over. A little nervous at being summoned by an adult, the boy stood in front of Jesus, staring at the ground, and shifting from foot to foot. But as he raised his eyes to Jesus, he relaxed beneath the kindness he sensed in Jesus and the joy shining from his eyes.
Lifting his gaze from the child to the adults, Jesus said, "Listen. Unless you become like a child, forget about being the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Unless you become like a child, you'll never even enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:1-3, CAF version
Unless you become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
That morning as I held my quacking daughter in my arm, I sensed Jesus' pleasure. He wasn't annoyed by her noise. Rather, he was thrilled by her engagement. And I learned from her.
Who does Jesus welcome? Not the outwardly religious, not the ones who have it all together, not the ones whose lives are neat, and clean, and without blemish, not the ones who know how to pray all pretty.
Jesus welcomes the childlike.
He welcomes the ones who don't know how to pray, but want to learn from him.
He welcomes the ones who cover up their past, but thirst for living water.
He welcomes the ones who are pushed down and judged, but look to him for refuge.
He welcomes the ones whose prayers sound to them like "Quack, quack, quack."
Jesus welcomes the childlike.
Even as I grow in my faith and mature as a Christ-follower, I want to cultivate childlike faith. I want to be like Adelyn and snuggle up in my Father's lap, listen to his heart, and murmur childlike phrases of praise and thanksgiving. I don't want to bury my fears, my faults, and my failures from him. Rather, I want to bring them before him in childlike trust, confident in his love, confident in his covering. I want to be still as I settle into his arms, and as my friend Sara says, learn to smell his skin.
If you're like me and want to cultivate childlike faith, to learn to settle into Jesus, to learn to smell his skin, I want to share a few resources with you that have been helpful for me.
Prayer Portions, Sylvia Gunter
This is a hands-on training guide to fuel your prayer life. This resource was given to me nearly twenty years ago. I found it so beneficial that I bought extra copies to give out to friends who joined me in saying, "Lord, teach me to pray."
Intimacy with God: Your Daily Guide to Prayer, Tara Furman
This resource gently leads you to cultivate intimacy with God through an established prayer time. Tara walks you through the practical steps of prayer journaling. I also recommend Tara's Bible study, Intimacy with God: Establishing a Vibrant Quiet Time and Prayer Time Bible Study Workbook for personal study, but also for a group Bible study.
Andrew Murray on Prayer, Andrew Murray
This book is so rich and so deep. If you long for a deeper understanding of what it means to abide in Christ and hunger for vibrancy in your prayer life, you need this book.
Maybe you're like Adelyn and you feel like your prayers sound like "Quack, quack, quack." I hope you'll take heart, and know that Jesus welcomes you, smiles on you, and longs for you to simply settle into him, rest your head on his shoulder, and breathe in the smell of his skin. As always, I'd love to hear from you, in a comment, by email, cynthiafin@gmail.com, or on Facebook.
