Bedtime Prayers

So last night I got really frustrated while trying to pray with my kids before bedtime.  Here I am trying to thank God for everything in our lives and teach them how to pray...


meanwhile Justin is crawling on top of me while Kate is watching birds eating at the feeder we have in the back yard.  So I snapped a bit...prayer time was over and bed time started.  I know, I know, I'm the best dad ever (ok, maybe second best), right?  But it's hard for kids, especially American kids whose parents give them everything they could possibly need, to imagine that they really need to be thankful for all that God provides.  And is it really easier for us?


Not looking to make this a summary of the sermons at NCC, but I'm going to go ahead and reference this past week anyway.  


So...Lysa TerKeurst spoke on how our reactions determine our reach.  It was awesome...go watch it HERE.  But what most hit me was a story she told about her son (adopted from Liberia).  This boy was an orphan who lived on one meal a day, walked a long distance to school and was ostracized by the kids with families when he got there.  


He didn't have much to be thankful for.  But one day someone picked him out of a crowd and told him to stand and tell everyone what he thanked God for.  There was nothing that this kid could say without lying...what could he be thankful for...his life?  That wasn't anything to be excited about...his life pretty much sucked.  The one meal of rice that he was getting for the day?


So instead, this amazing boy started singing.  He praised God and worshipped him with a song...not because of what he has done, but because of who he IS.  


This is huge.  I've spent alot of time teaching my kids to pray...giving them examples of blessings, things and situations that they could thank God for.  That's not bad...but it's so incomplete.  If all we focus on is what he's done for us (like thanking a genie), what do we do when we don't believe there's anything to thank God for?  Even in those situations where everything I hold dear is falling apart, I want to be able to thank God and praise him for who he is.  That is worship in spirit and in truth.




Side note...the day after Lysa's son stood up an sang a song, another kid did the same thing (and her son joined in), and it grew every day.  After a while, their singing caught the ear of someone who was visiting and they started traveling around the world to sing and raise awareness about the needs of orphans.  Because of one song...one fumbling attempt at worship in the face of despair...many families have had the chance to grow in size, faith and love through adoption.