God, why doesn't prayer work on sleepless children?
I mean, considering your flair with wine and water
your feeding of the five thousand
and the way you have raising the dead down to a T
I would have thought that settling this screaming baby would be relatively easy.
So why doesn't prayer work on sleepless children?
Because it really, really doesn't (I've tried over and over)
and although I've known prayer to work on sickness,
impossible tasks,
broken down vehicles
the weather
and lost property,
it never, never works on screaming sleepless babies.
Is it, Lord, because you were once a screaming, sleepless baby yourself?
Do you sympathise?
Do you remember what it's like to need something,
and not know what it is,
and not have any words for it
only tears?
I suppose this baby is praying too,
crying out to you in the only way he knows,
and you have answered his prayer.
You have given him me.
And you have equipped me for the task:
you have given me a body that can nurture him,
arms that can hold and rock him
a voice to sing to him
a scent that comforts him
and a heart that loves him
even at 3am
even though he is screaming and snotty
and that teaches me about the way in which you love me
which, in turn, leads me to tell other people about the way in which you love them.
In fact, this baby is your evangelist
your teacher and preacher
your intercessor
for me, at 3am
which perhaps is why prayer doesn't work on sleepless babies.
I suppose I should be thankful for that.
(But, God, if prayer can't work on sleepless children,
Please could it work on laundry instead?)
Amen.
I mean, considering your flair with wine and water
your feeding of the five thousand
and the way you have raising the dead down to a T
I would have thought that settling this screaming baby would be relatively easy.
So why doesn't prayer work on sleepless children?
Because it really, really doesn't (I've tried over and over)
and although I've known prayer to work on sickness,
impossible tasks,
broken down vehicles
the weather
and lost property,
it never, never works on screaming sleepless babies.
Is it, Lord, because you were once a screaming, sleepless baby yourself?
Do you sympathise?
Do you remember what it's like to need something,
and not know what it is,
and not have any words for it
only tears?
I suppose this baby is praying too,
crying out to you in the only way he knows,
and you have answered his prayer.
You have given him me.
And you have equipped me for the task:
you have given me a body that can nurture him,
arms that can hold and rock him
a voice to sing to him
a scent that comforts him
and a heart that loves him
even at 3am
even though he is screaming and snotty
and that teaches me about the way in which you love me
which, in turn, leads me to tell other people about the way in which you love them.
In fact, this baby is your evangelist
your teacher and preacher
your intercessor
for me, at 3am
which perhaps is why prayer doesn't work on sleepless babies.
I suppose I should be thankful for that.
(But, God, if prayer can't work on sleepless children,
Please could it work on laundry instead?)
Amen.
8 comments:
<3 xxx
I thought you might like this, Enola :) x
Dear Lord,
Please help Amy to realise that she NEEDS to publish a book of poetry, so that everyone can read her beautiful words.
Amen
This made me cry (in a good way!) - possibly because my 3 week old is currently asleep on me after a night of not much sleep. Beautifully written.
Wonderful. Made me cry.
It's sort of psalm-like in its structure (apart from the bit about laundry at the end).
Oh how I love this! Thank you. So beautiful to think how much our little ones call us to be better versions of ourselves transforming us to look more like Jesus.
I still come back to this - and share - it often :) love you A(me) xxx
Hi Amie,
I believe that positives must be equalised by negatives. Take Childbirth as an example The pain of labour is countered by the joy that follows.etc. etc. Gerald.
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