Being and Becoming: Childlike Prayer

Written by Melody Franco

Have you ever listened to a child pray?

I can still remember when my little sister, Kate, who was six years old at the time, prayed for God to protect the Tooth Fairy from being eaten by Bigfoot. My mom later found out that my older sister and I had been writing letters to Kate from the “Tooth Fairy,” who was apparently in a highly stressful situation, running for her life from Bigfoot and pleading for help. Not my finest moment. 

Even though our family looks back at the story now and has a good laugh, I still find it so tender that Kate, experiencing distress and fear, brought her heart before God in prayer. 

I recently was struck by Matthew 18:1-4: “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’” 

I don’t know about you, but when I think of growing in the spiritual disciplines I don’t imagine becoming like a little child, but like a stoic and wise elder—Mother Teresa or Saint Francis vibes. However, one of the mysterious paradoxes of our faith is that Jesus is not interested in us maturing out of childhood. Instead, our spiritual discipleship leads us into greater childlikeness. 

Here are a few things about little children I think we can all agree on:

1. They are brutally honest. 

2. They are unapologetically needy. 

3. They are emotionally unrestrained. 

   
   

I used to think that maturing in prayer as a Christian meant that at first you’ll be like a child—you’ll ask for things all the time, be preoccupied with what’s trivial, and be led by emotions as you pray—and then eventually “level up” to being more saint-like in how you pray—you’ll express praise and gratitude, focus on eternal things, and always be at peace in God, so nothing really upsets, troubles, or shakes you. 

However, as I began to pray the Psalms a few years ago, my view of what faithful, trusting, loving communication with God looks and sounds like was transformed. While the psalmist does express awe and reverence, praising God over and over, “Let everything that breathes praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!” (Ps. 150:6), there are also a lot of psalms that are not that.

But doesn’t trusting God mean not questioning God?

The psalmist is brutally honest, “Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (Ps. 10:1). 

It feels selfish to ask God for help… 

The psalmist is unapologetically needy, “O LORD my God, in you I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and deliver me, or like a lion they will tear me apart they will drag me away, with no one to rescue” (Ps. 7:1-2). 

I need to get my desires and motives in order before I pray.

The psalmist is emotionally unrestrained, “O daughter Babylon, you devastator! Happy shall they be who pay you back what you have done to us! Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them against the rock!” (Ps. 137:8-9).

Well, that doesn’t sound very holy… 

The psalmist, our example for faithful prayer in Scripture, is incredibly childlike in how they relate to God.

So be a child. Come to God with brutal honesty, dependent and needy, messy and unfiltered. 

Your Father is already speaking and is already listening.