A Child's Prayer

My prayers were about to be answered.

My eight-year-old grandson was the messenger.

For five years, I had prayed for a child for my youngest son and his wife. Expensive and painful fertility treatments had failed. Month after month, year after year, they experienced heartache and disappointment. The excitement of a pregnancy ended in the sorrow of miscarriage. Another baby was lost when the birth mother decided at the last minute to keep her baby. I hurt so much for them. Would this trial ever end?

One Sunday morning in October, my eight-year-old grandson Braden and I sat across from each other in the reception area of our small church. It was unusual that no one else was in the room with us. Braden, my most affectionate grandchild, reached for a Bible lying in the middle of the round table.

He thumbed through the pages and said, “Matthew.”

He quickly flipped through a few more pages and declared, “Mark.”

With what appeared to be purpose, he continued, “Luke.”

And he added, “Oh, yes, John,” Braden stopped at John’s Gospel.

His finger moved down the page to verse 14 and he read, "You may ask me for anything in My name, and I will do it.” Moisture filled my eyes as he closed the Bible and just looked me straight in the eye.

I leaned slightly toward him and said, “Okay, Braden, you know how we have been praying for a baby for Uncle Joel and Aunt Jennifer?”

“Yes,” he said, lowering his eyes and raising his shoulders slightly in a shy little shrug.

“Well, Jesus tells us here that if we ask anything in His name, He will do it.” I continued in spite of my concern about what would happen to his fledging faith if God did not answer our prayers in the way and time we expected. I decided to take advantage of an opportunity to transmit my faith to him, so I took courage and said, “Let’s pray right now. You and me.”

“Okay,” he said cautiously, still looking me intently in the eye.

I gently wrapped his hand in mine and prayed this simple prayer, “Lord Jesus, the Bible tells us that if we ask anything in your name, you will do it. We ask you right now for a baby for Joel and Jennifer. We thank you for answering our prayer. Amen.”

Then, with all of the confidence I could muster, I said, “Braden, we asked so we now believe that our prayer will be answered.”

My quiet little grandson simply smiled and nodded.

As we left church, I told my husband about the prayer, “I have never seen Braden open a Bible and read a verse. I wouldn’t be surprised if we get good news this week.”

On Wednesday afternoon, as I was straightening my house, Joel called and said, “Another young woman has chosen us to adopt her baby, who is due in February.” I was stunned. As the good news reached Braden’s house, my daughter, Braden’s mother, got out her Bible, sat her three active boys around the dinner table, and read John 14:14. As she told them the news of the coming baby, she reminded them of Braden’s prayer.

The four months of waiting for the baby to be born were a grueling stretch of patience and holding onto faith. The last birth mother had changed her mind a week before the baby was due. Could they bear another heartbreak? Could I? As I waited and prayed, I read scriptures about the faithfulness of God throughout the Bible, and I reminded myself of the day Braden and I prayed.

Our sixth grandchild, a healthy boy, was born a week early! When we all welcomed the much-anticipated child home, Braden could not take his eyes off his tiny cousin. As Rylan’s long fingers wrapped around Braden’s forefinger, I told the story again of how Braden asked and God answered.

I will continue to tell this story and others because throughout scripture God’s charges his people with passing down the faith to the generations to come. In Psalm 71:18 (NIV), the psalmist says, “Even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare your strength to this generation.” The story of Braden’s prayer showed me how opportunities arise in everyday life to teach about God’s continuing faithfulness.