03 Nov Day 24: Voice of a Child
“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'”
Matthew 19:14
Boys praying in chapel
The voice of a child. A voice lifted in prayer to the One who created that very special and very precious life. A voice lifted in praise, in pain, in wonder and in gratitude. A voice lifted in prayer for an estranged family member, for friends who are still on the streets, for strength for an overwhelmingly difficult life, for peace, for love. A prayer of thanks for the very air that we breathe.
We can all take a lesson from the prayer of a child. Their honesty, innocence, humility, and love for our Lord is inspiring. Every Sunday during chapel at the City of Youth, the children place little scraps of paper in the offering basket. Having no money, this is their tithe.
Every Monday, the church deacons read each prayer and pray over the requests. The following prayers were translated from those little pieces of paper. As you read through these, please join each child in their special prayer.
- Hello, my blessed God. How are you up there in Heaven? I hope you are in peace. I have come to thank you for the air we breathe and for taking care of us. (Guilermie)
- Lord Jesus Christ, give me strength so I can worship you forever. Bless the City of Youth so that many children can have the opportunity to have a new life in Christ and in society. Thank you for making this place blessed by you. (Robson)
- Lord my God… despite the bad circumstances that I have lived, I thank you, because I know that better days will come. (Carmela)
- Lord, bless the life of my mother. She needs the Lord in her life, and I believe that you can change her life. And if it is your will, let my little sister be adopted. May that happen. I love you Lord Jesus. (Glaucia)
- God, I want to ask you to bless the house parents in every shelter on earth. If it is possible, Lord, may we sleep in peace every day. (Anderson)
- Lord Jesus, I want to thank you for another day of life, and for every life here .(Simone)
- God, thank you so much for everything you did for me. Protect my family. God, give me the opportunity to come face to face with the person I hurt so that I can ask forgiveness. (Diego)
- Help me pray for my family, because my faith is insufficient for this. (Joaos)
Heavenly Father, thank you for the wonderful gift of these prayers, and for the faith with which they were offered up. So many children have been wounded emotionally as well as physically, growing up with holes only You can fill. We pray each such child would find Your solace and Divine restoration of everything that they lost.