Daddy Fix It

. . . Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints . . . Ephesians 6:18

When my kids were little, they thought I could fix anything. Fixing something though, was usually synonymous with simply replacing the dead batteries in a toy. They’d bring the toy to me and say, “Daddy fix it.” Their problems were easy to remedy back then, which perhaps led to the illusion that I was in control and could fix anything. My kids have grown up though and now, as they’re both far away in college, my lack of ability to control and fix everything for them is painfully exposed. Like any parent, I worry, and I do what I can, but I’m not there. I can’t direct their every move and I can’t simply replace the batteries in a rundown toy to make everything better.

In today’s passage, we’re told we must pray for others. In Paul’s instruction about putting on the armor of God to protect ourselves from evil, he ended by insisting we must continually pray for those we know and love.

Does prayer change things? Does God protect others when we ask him to do so? I believe he does, but of course, I can’t prove to you that prayer works. I’ve prayed for something to happen and then it has, but I cannot prove the connection. What I can demonstrate is how prayer changes me.

Every time I worry about my kids, I can go to God in prayer. What do I pray for? I usually start by asking God to implement my will for their lives. I know what’s best for them. In remembering the Lord’s prayer though, I usually get around to asking God for his will to be done. He knows far better than me what they need and he’s the only one who can implement his will. In prayer, I can admit my own powerlessness and, in an act of faith, I can give it up to God – the only one who is truly in control.

I can’t fix everything anymore. So, I can wallow in my anxiety and worry, or I can pray. In prayer, I practice faith in God by giving my kids up to him. I’m not in control but I believe in the one who is. In prayer, I acknowledge that reality and I learn to abandon my will for God’s, asking that he perform his will in their lives. My kids must make their own decisions now and I can’t fix everything, but I can pray, and so, daily, I will continue to do so.