Praying About the Little Things

When my kids and I sat down to pray before breakfast a few days ago, my 4-year-old prayed that God would make her mosquito bites stop itching. We had just prayed about some weightier stuff, so I was initially taken aback by her prayer for something that was seemingly trivial.

As I thought about this, my feelings of surprise faded and I began feeling humbled. When was the last time I earnestly brought a need as simple as itchy insect bites before the Lord? Do I really believe that He cares about the little things in our lives? Why don’t I pray about these things more often?

When I pray, I tend to focus on things that I think are more significant. I pray for my loved one who is battling breast cancer. I pray for the safety of family members who are traveling. I pray for friends who are struggling with unemployment. I pray for our government leaders and about issues happening in our nation and world. I don’t often pray about little things like discomfort from mosquito bites. Perhaps I should.

Why it is good to pray about little things

• It acknowledges our dependence on God. God is the source of life (Genesis 2:7) and He remains in control over both well-being and calamity (Isaiah 45:6-7). The Bible makes it clear that followers of God won’t be very effective unless we depend on Him (John 15:5). Praying about little things is one way we acknowledge our dependence on God. It helps us choose God over earthly sources of strength and helps us trust God’s direction in every aspect of our days.
• It keeps us in conversation with God. One of the things I try to teach my kids about prayer is that prayer is conversation with God. Prayer shouldn’t be relegated to certain times or places; we can and should pray all of the time (1 Thessalonians 5:17). It’s easier to do this when we pray about small things. As good things happen throughout the day, we can immediately pray and thank God for them. As bad things happen throughout the day, we can immediately pray and ask for God’s help.
• God the Father doesn’t despise our childlikeness. Kids love simple things and love sharing these with us. They’ll play with cardboard boxes for hours and get super excited about watching a frog jump around a garden. Even though we, as parents, aren’t as enthusiastic about these things, we share their joy because we love them. Likewise, we hurt when they hurt. God is our father. He loves us even more than we love our kids. He longs for us to share our needs, both big and small, with Him so He can give us good gifts (Matthew 7:7-12).
• It shows we trust that God really cares about us. If you think about it, everything is small compared to God. God created the universe. He has no beginning or end. He’s omniscient and omnipotent. We think that things like broken appliances, strained relationships with neighbors, and missing keys are small to God, but aren’t big things like illnesses, unemployment, and elections also pretty small to Him? However, the Bible says that nothing occurs on earth without God noticing it, even something as simple as a bird falling to the ground (Matthew 10:29). If this is true, then it’s no wonder the Bible encourages us to cast ALL of our concerns on God (1 Peter 5:7). When we pray about the little things, we express our trust that God really does care about us.

Regardless of if we are praying for little things or big things, we must remember that God isn’t a genie in a magic lamp. We can’t rub the lamp and magically get our wishes granted. Sometimes God doesn’t answer our prayers in the way we want Him to. It’s difficult for us to understand this, but one of the great things about praying often—for both little and big things—is that it keep us in communion with God. Communing with Him helps our hearts become more like His. The better we know God’s heart, the more we understand His ways and His will. This helps us align our hearts with His so we have a better idea of how to pray and how to respond regardless of how these prayers are answered.

Do you pray about the little things going on in your life? Why or why not?

Shared at the following:

Tuesdays with a Twist, Over the Moon, and Encouraging Hearts and Home.