A Kid's Guide To MatthewSample

God Loves Relationship

Your mom and dad taught you to be polite. You have come to know this is especially important when you want to ask for something! But if you smile and say “please,” is it guaranteed that you’ll get what you want? How about if you bring in your brother and sister, and you all ask together—there’s power in numbers, right? Sometimes, even if you say “please” and bring in back-up, your parents still tell you “no.” And if they do, they have their good reasons. It’s kind of like that with prayer. Just because you end your prayer “in Jesus’ name” and you’re using the buddy system, you are not guaranteed to get what you want.

Here’s the thing: the Bible is a book about relationship (it’s what God’s wanted with us from the beginning!)—it’s not a book of formulas. Even though God is the greatest numbers guy and could tell you every last digit of pi, He’s not really into formulas where we’re concerned. If all we had to do was ask for stuff in a certain way, we’d focus on the stuff. And what God wants is togetherness. Friendship with Him is so much more fulfilling than some formula.

Your prayers are powerful! They are accomplishing something! Jesus wants us to be bold about asking—that’s what these verses are really about. Trust that what you have to say matters to God. Trust that He wants to give you the desires of your heart. And trust each other, too.

He likes it when His family is on the same page—we’re meant to be united. So this week, grab a friend and pray together. Be bold and expectant and full of faith, but remember—there is nothing better that you could ask for than closeness with God.