Tinsley, our almost-five-year-old, has become the resident meal pray-er. I think it's mostly because she's so darn cute and fun to listen to. We've gone through our fair share of "interesting prayers," and it becomes a great springboard for conversation afterward.
Recently, she has been in a rut. And it is an odd little prayer. There is some (minor) variance to the wording and word placement, but this is the general form:
"Dear God, I pray we have a super-great day. I pray we never give up and never get down. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen."
Now, before you label me as a terrible father and a worse theologian, I want you to know that we have no idea where she got this prayer. We tend to blame one or more of her teachers at school, but that's only because we can't imagine where else she could have gotten it. And, of course, she's not telling.
Of the prayers she's prayed since the days of mimicking her older sisters, this one has had the longest shelf-life by far -- especially the "super-great day" part.
I'm not sure what response we are supposed to have to "public prayer," but I'm pretty sure that one of the responses we should have to any corporate prayer is that of reflection. So, after hearing the prayer a couple (hundred) times, I stopped to reflect on what T was saying. About that time, Wendy said to me, "You know what? It's actually a pretty good prayer." To which I responded, "That's what I've been thinking." As soon as I realized my wife and I agreed on something, I knew we had discovered deep, deep truth.
Now, before we get into what the prayer is, let's chat for a brief minute about what it is not. It is certainly not a long prayer. For some, that is a negative. For others, that is a huge positive -- especially when said with a warm dinner just beneath the nose. It is not an outwardly-focused prayer. No sicknesses or veiled gossip or lost people mentioned at all. It is also not a global prayer. There is no mention of kids who will have nothing to eat that day -- either in Lubbock or in Africa. It is not a deep prayer. (But it's also prayed by a 4-year-old, with no coaching from her parents and older siblings.)
It IS a horribly self-centered prayer, I will grant you that. Outside of the most popular duo of the Trinity, the only people it mentions is, well, us. But if we were to analyze our own prayers, aren't they mostly self-oriented as well? Prayers for sick people are prayers for sick people who are OUR friends, or at least friends of our friends. Prayers for people making poor life decisions are prayers of manipulation to get them to see our version of right and wrong. And if we were brutally honest with one another, most of our time in prayer is asking for things we want for our own sake.
So, if we're praying selfish prayers anyway, why not make it sound something like the T prayer?
Think about what T's asking for in this prayer. She is praying that her family (the "we" of the prayer) has a super-great day. What a beautiful sentiment! And I don't know about you, but when I DO have one of those rare super-great days, I want to have another one as soon as possible! And if we draw that out, super-great days cluster into super-great weeks, which make up super-great years, and before we know it, we've lived a super-great life. Who among us wouldn't love for people to say about us that we lived a super-great life?!
She's also praying that we never give up. Prayers for perseverance pepper the Psalms. ("Strengthen me according to your word." - Psalm 119:28; "Deliver me from my enemies, O God; be my fortress against those who are attacking me." - Psalm 59:1). Perseverance doesn't negate the reality of difficulty, but it causes us to overcome. Every four years at the Olympics the networks go to great lengths to highlight those athletes who have overcome some sort of adversity. Perseverance is one of those qualities that we all want to have.
Finally, she prays that we never get down. Whereas perseverance is more of a physical thing, this is a prayer for mental and emotional victory. One of our greatest enemies is our own broken psyche. We talk ourselves into defeat much more often than we actually get defeated. We talk ourselves out of great victories before we ever get started. We mistreat people around us because we are down -- on ourselves, on our friends, on our families, on our country. Staying positive is one of the most important aspects of a life well-lived. No one wants to be around the "woe is me" person. Everybody wants to be around the person who exudes positivity.
We could easily use bigger words and more words to make this prayer sound more like we're used to hearing prayers sound. But isn't one of the purposes of prayer to bring our heart's desires before our Creator and actually expect Him to do something about it? Let me tell you something. Tinsley has probably had more super-great days in her last two years than I've had in 37. She also is one of the most positive, creative, and self-confident little humans I have ever met. Now I admit, it could be because she's 4 years old.
Or it could be because God is hearing and answering her simple prayer.
My prayer for you -- May the God of the universe grant you a super-great day. May you never give up. May you never get down. In Jesus' powerful name I pray this for you. Amen.
