Throwback Faith
When Ian was 3 years old, I remember being in bed sick with what I thought was a stomach bug. He didn’t understand why momma wasn’t getting up to care for him. At some point during the day, he came walking into our bedroom holding several sheets of paper. They were worksheets from his Sunday School class. As he gently laid them on my belly, he said, “Momma, Jesus heal you now.” He said his prayer and then just walked away. I know it won’t surprise you that my eyes welled up with tears. A few days later we found out that I was actually pregnant with Isaiah and I never had any more morning sickness after that. The faith and prayer of a child is so simple and so unwavering. No big words. No theological degree…just simple faith.
Tucked so precisely in the book of Hebrews, an anonymous author reminds us that, “For we (believers) have become partakers of Christ (sharing in all that the Messiah has for us), if only we hold firm our newborn confidence (which originally led us to Him) until the end,” (Hebrews 3:14, AMP).
Do you remember being confident in your prayers when you were little? I don’t necessarily remember a prayer life when I was growing up, but I do recall my newborn faith at the age of twenty and how I just trusted that He heard my prayers. I had a confidence that I could pray and walk away knowing that He would take care of it in His time. I would be so excited, like I was waiting for Christmas, to see what He would do with my prayers. Now, almost twenty-three years later, my prayer life has matured, but sometimes maturity can shrink the “exciting childlike faith” confidence.
I’ve caught myself praying all the words only to walk away still holding onto all the worry. Praying with my head, not my heart. Never fully releasing my requests into God’s hands. Somewhere along the journey of adulting I allowed hurt, and disappointment, to loosen the firm hold that I had on my newborn confidence.
I had to remind myself: hold up girl, your faith is stronger than this! Don’t let the shadows of doubt dwell in the light of God’s faithfulness! I mean, He’s even given us an assurance policy in the book of John, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
I know they say, “don’t dwell in the past,” but what if I can gain a little something from it? I want to throwback to my newborn faith when it was easier to take heart and simpler to walk in His assurance. When letting Him be the lifter of my head was as effortless as Sunday school worksheets. You know, back when it was truly all about Him and not me.
So, here’s what a woman must do with her grown-up prayers. She should picture herself as a child, placing her worries and doubts in the hands of Jesus. No more dwelling on them. Just giving them to Jesus and getting them out of her head (this is why I journal; every word I write is me placing my prayers into a book that He holds in His hands). And remembering all that God has already brought her through, she should just pray and walk away like she used to, believing that He will answer her prayers.
Faith like a child.