When I was 4 years old I liked to explore just like all 4year old’s. This practice got me into some trouble when going shopping with my mother. We would walk downtown on the cement sidewalks. Block after block treading toward the “Woolworth” department store. This was the equivalent of a super shopping mall in the fifties. How FUN for me!
I would begin skipping with anticipation. As the excitement built I was even prone to run. This brought sharp admonitions from my mother to stop and look twice before crossing the many intersections. “Besides if you are running,” she would say, “you might fall in the middle of the road and get ran over.”
Half listening, I would reduce my gait to a skip again. Eventually we would arrive at the front of the magical building. Brightly lit and welcoming, the store seemed to have a life of it’s own. It held rows and rows of beautifully packaged toys, interesting objects and even a soda fountain.
I feverishly rushed up to the huge glass entry. Though I did need help with the doors, once inside I was oblivious to all else. In my own fantasy world I wandered up and down the isles in wonderment. Lost in my own world, I lost track of my security.
Alas, eventually I realized I had no idea where my mother was. When this reality hit me…fear set in. Crying, I would call out for my mommy. No longer able to enjoy the amusement park atmosphere, I became paralyzed with fright. Separated from my parent, I was disoriented, depressed, desperate and scared to death. The one I trusted had disappeared from my sight.
Jesus said in the book of Matthew something that we often overlook…though the statement is very clear…”unless you become as a little child, you will NEVER see the kingdom of God”. Answered prayer depends on your willingness to come to God, as your Abba (daddy, Papa)…the answers come as you trust in His ability and willingness to answer.
Our relationship with God is just that: a relationship. He isn’t asking for a religious display of our worth. He isn’t asking for a show of our abilities to be good…Relationships are built on trust and respect. God only requires “childlike trust”. The definition of relationships, “the state of being connected”. Jesus says to come to God as a personal entity, as close as a loving parent. Our trust in Him is not apart of our completing some required regime of religious activities. Example: church attendance, ritualistic prayer, good works…these are not all bad yet they are not the requirements for a relationship with God. In fact since James 4:8 states that “God is Love” it would stand to reason that He wants is to love us dearly….and what He asks in return is for us to “BELIEVE IT”. When He seems far away and we think He doesn’t care, doesn’t want our best: our prayers don’t get answered. When I was wondering aimlessly through the discount store looking for my mother, it wasn’t because I believed she didn’t care or love me….it was because I was disconnected from her protective devoted care. I had wondered off.
It seems too simple. Trust that God wants to answer our prayers??? Really? Seriously could it be that easy? Shouldn’t we need a degree or sometime to get answers to life, health and well being? Uhmm…not according to the Holy Scriptures:
And:
James 4:2 “You do not have because you do not ask”.
Then again:
Matthew 21:22 “and whatever you ask for in prayer believing, you will receive”.
