Praise, Ask, Strength, Sorry
One of the many joys of being in ministry are the amazing comments kids provide. Sure, there are the typical ‘Jesus!’ responses to any and all questions but then there are moments that really make you go ‘wow!’.
When preparing for a lesson, I set aside time for kids to respond to what they’ve just heard. And I’m humbled at the heartfelt answers they give. There is an uncalloused insight they provide that I have lost over time. We end our time together with a prayer writing activity.
I hand out sheets of paper that have Praise, Ask, Strength and Sorry written down the side. The first letters of these words spell out PASS. It’s a simple tool that encourages children to go beyond just asking for stuff and to get to the heart and purpose of prayer. They return the papers to one of the two drop-off options. The first is an open box that I get to take home. Whatever they’ve written on the paper is what I promise to pray for. The second option is a mailbox. This one is just between them and God.
Of the papers I’m privileged to, I am amazed at how deep these littles think. They pray for their families, friends, the environment, wars, sick loved ones and other stressors in their lives. These kids have got heavy loads. The one part that I look forward to reading the most is the ‘ask’ part of PASS. There’s one wonderful child who does this part a little differently than the others. The majority of the group take this as an opportunity to request God for something. But this girl uses it as an opportunity to ask questions to God: How old are you? Do you sleep? What is heaven like? Do you see me?
She is not calloused like I am. She is filled with the wonder of God and longs to know Him… to understand Him at the most basic level. She speaks to Him as though they’re on the playground. Jesus is her friend. And she wants to get to know Him better. Reading her PASS paper constantly renews my simple side of faith that often gets bogged down by long hours and church hardships. Sweet child, you are an amazing gift to me.
Colossians 4:2 challenges us to ‘Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful’. And that’s a challenge we should all tackle each and every day:
Devote ourselves to prayer
Be aware of the snares that surround us
Thank the Good Lord for all He continues to do.
And maybe even allow ourselves to see Him as a friend on the playground, who truly longs to be our friend and Savior.