Q: If I hear my child praying for something that I have the power to deliver, do I deliver?

A: YES! A friend of ours talks about how Christians sit around and pray, assuming that we are not the ones to meet each other’s needs.  Someone needs $100 for a past-due bill; we all bow our heads and pray that God will somehow supply the money.  Couldn’t we all toss in $20 to answer the request right away? Are we afraid that if we meet someone’s need we are somehow dis-empowering God or simplifying their faith? This seems silly, but I’m sure it’s lurked in my subconscious decisions to pray quietly but do nothing.  I’m not fond of this warped thinking.  So, when I heard Vivienne pray, “Dear God, please help mommy to read to me soon,” I pretty much had to say, “Hey, Viv, would you like to read a book?”  I wasn’t taking God’s place, I was simply agreeing that He clearly wanted to grant her simple request.

There are enough times when her requests don’t involve me.  For instance, I still don’t know how to respond when she prays something like, “Dear God, please get my Elmo chair back for me,” knowing that we sold said-Elmo chair at a garage sale last year… This is a request that I don’t have the privilege of being a part of; I can’t run out and buy her a new Elmo chair (for a lot of reasons, but mostly because it’s not what she asked for).  So, this request is all God’s.  I must admit that I wanted to talk her out of this one; I wanted to explain that her Elmo chair is  busy making another child happy and comfy; I wanted her to let God off the hook this time.  But I caught myself and didn’t say a word.  Who am I to talk her out of requests that require more faith than I have? The way I see it, I’d rather raise her to always pray bigger prayers than I can grasp… even if that means welcoming the Elmo chair back into our home.

What is your answer to this quandry?