Have you ever prayed something like, “Thank you, Lord, for this day; please give me wisdom and understanding to do your will,” and then went on with your day, never thinking twice about the implications of that prayer? Me, too, until late one evening when my young daughter helped me see God’s divine answer to her prayers.
“Tell me a story I never, never heard,” said Gracie. This is the same line I hear from my two small girls every day, but especially at bedtime. Just a few nights ago, as I was putting my girls, ages 4 and 1, to bed, I started telling a story that Gracie had never heard. I told her that when I was a young girl, I started praying and asking God to give me wisdom so that I could be a good girl; and I had often asked God to give me the wisdom to choose the right man to marry so my children would have a good daddy. This really grabbed Gracie’s interest. “What is wisdom, Mama?”
I was delighted to answer, “Wisdom is the understanding of how and why to make good decisions, like when you are playing with Laila (her baby sister) and she knocks your blocks down. It is having wisdom that will help you respond correctly because of her very young age.”
Her youthful eyes searched mine as she asked, “Where do you get wisdom?”
Isn’t this the very question every parent wants their child to ask? Isn’t this what every parent hopes all their children will seek and then find? “Wisdom is a gift from God, Gracie. The Bible says that all you have to do is ask, and God will give it to you. It is a free gift.”
Gracie’s smile was infectious. “A GIFT!” She wanted to ask God for wisdom right then. We closed our eyes to pray. Her prayer that night was not just the generic, “Lord, help me sleep good.” My little girl prayed, “Lord, please, please, please, give me wisdom and understanding. Amen.”
How cute, I thought, and kissed her good night. The next morning we started our day as always, only this time, it went more smoothly than usual. I stopped my work to tell Gracie how good she was being. Every time something came up between her and Laila, she handled it like a grown-up. She was not just backing off and letting Laila have her own ‘little one-year-old selfish way.’ She would very calmly tell Laila, “No.” And then, she admonished her baby sister, “Say, ‘Yes,’ Laila.”
Halfway through the morning, it finally dawned on ‘my lack of faith adult mind’ what was happening. Gracie was experiencing the promised supernatural gift from God called Wisdom! It was God’s promised gift that was causing my 4-year-old to answer her sister with such sobriety. After all, God did say that all you have to do is ask. Who said God would not give wisdom to a four-year-old? When I spontaneously began to laugh with thanksgiving and joy, Gracie wanted to know what had made me laugh. So I explained to Gracie that God had blessed her with the gift of wisdom, which in turn had made me very happy.
She did not see what all the fuss was about. She responded, “I know, Mama, because I asked him for it, remember?”
I continued to watch her throughout the day, and, sure enough, she was still the wonderful little rascal that she always is. But when it came to handling Laila, she was incredible. She has been telling all her friends about wisdom, and that she is asking God for it. She also explains, “It’s a gift. All you have to do is ask God, and he will give it to you. He promised!”
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I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. 3 John 4
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Wow! I'm inspired thank you so much Gracie's parents for leading your children in the ways of The Lord. You've have inspired me! Have just asked Daddy God for wisdom and will teach my son the same.
May The Lord bless you more and more with wisdom and understanding all the days of your lives in Jesus name, Amen.