I sometimes wonder what wayward adults would do if they knew how often they are mentioned by name in prayers that come from the littlest of hearts. I routinely hear Bible class teachers mention that this little boy or that little girl prayed for “so-and-so” in class today. I hear my own daughters frequently pray by name for men and women they haven’t seen in months. And I wonder, “What effect would it have on this parent or that grandparent, this family friend or that former church member if they knew that this little boy or that little girl had just mentioned them in prayer to God?”
Adults, despite all of our supposed sophistication, let’s realize:
- The ripple effects of sin are very real and they reach farther than we ever imagine in the moment of temptation and compromise. Not one of us can damage-control the aftershocks of transgression.
- The children around us know and feel more than we often give them credit for. They are watching and listening. They notice and remember.
- Luke 18:1-reminders can sometimes come in the smallest of packages. “And [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.”
“And calling to him a child, [Jesus] put him in the midst of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven'” (Matt 18:2-3).