Teach me to Pray

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions,
and thanksgivings  be made for all people,     I Timothy 2: 1

When I was a little girl, my parents never taught us to pray; “Now I lay me down to sleep.” We were taught to pray for whatever was in our hearts and for anyone we knew who might need a boost with prayer. We never had a time limit on prayer. When my mother prayed, I knew she touched Heaven.

    When Brenna grew old enough to say her own nighttime prayers, I followed the leadership of my own parents. Each night before sleep, we had a routine of reading a story from a favorite book, a Bible story, and prayer time. If a babysitter failed to follow this nightly plan, Brenna insisted that they not come back.

    As she grew, her prayers matured. She had a quiet spirit, seldom volunteering to pray in public. She had seen too many people praying loudly, and in her opinion, praying more for attention than with sincerity.

    When we ate out, she added a special prayer for those who waited on us, those who prepared the food, for their unknown needs, for the people across the restaurant who seemed to be facing heartache. She quietly observed those around her and included them in her prayers, asking God to bless each and every one.

    It is no wonder that at times, someone working in the restaurant would come to Brenna, asking for her continued prayer for a special need. Brenna lived her faith in a quiet way, but in a manner that strangers understood as genuine.