In All Things

Every evening lately, my dad, my Zoe, and I have been walking the prayer walk. It’s a quiet time of evening followed by far ranging discussions. My mom joins our post walk talks most nights and last night was no different.

As tends to happen in conversations, we drifted on to sleep. My dad loves to sleep. My mom would love to sleep but it has been a little difficult for her to catch lately. I chimed in that I had been waking up during the night. Then Zoe says, “Don’t you pray at night?”

“Of course” I haughtily reply. I’ve been praying so long before falling asleep that it seems a little silly for an 8 year old to be accusing me of not. Each night my final thoughts are focused on the magnificence of our Lord, imaginings of Him welcoming me home, and great wrestling with puzzling concepts.  Far ranging theological ponderings dance in my mind sometimes keeping me from sleep just so I can taste the sweetness of another brilliant bit of God’s glory.

She tilts her head and looks at me like I have interrupted something important she was going to say. I’m tempted to fire off another witty comment but instead I listen.

“I pray every night that I sleep until it’s time to wake up and that I have good dreams.”

The Word says that in all things, with prayers and supplications, we are to make our needs known to the Lord, all things, even those things like a full night’s sleep.  The Lord is good and merciful and He knows we need to sleep. He also knows that we need reminders to rely on Him.

I find myself tempted to think that because I’m doing this or not doing something else that I have attained something, like leveling up in a game. The truth is that my 8 year old who fully relies on the Lord to help her sleep all night is showing an amazing degree of faith. The little boy who gave up his fish demonstrated such a faith. Faith isn’t just about the “big” things. It doesn’t just come into play when faced with major life choices or chances to overcome giants. Faith, granted to us by our Father, has to be our foundation-what wakes us up and lays us down.  The knowledge that the Father loves us and is working to benefit us has to be the driving force in our lives.

So, last night as I drifted off to sleep, I thought of my Zoe. I asked my Savior to watch over her. Then, I asked Him to forgive my arrogance. I asked forgiveness for thinking anything was beneath His ability to care about, forgiveness for thinking my prayers written in big words and complex sentences were more valuable than the words of a child. Wrapped in the joy of my Lord, I slept the whole night and had good dreams.