"Help Us Bless!"

My daughter works an early shift most days, which gives me an opportunity to spend the mornings with my grandsons. They are so sweet and full of the innocent wisdom children seem to be born with. As part of our morning routine, we eat breakfast and say a prayer for our food and the day. My three-year-old grandson has been listening to these prayers since he was born. His older brother, who is eight, usually leads the prayers. Recently, the three-year-old has decided he would like to lead prayers, and does a great job praying for the food. But the way he ends his prayer has captured my attention. Where the eight-year-old asks Jesus at the end to; "Bless our family," the three-year-old has transformed this phrase into; "Help our family bless!" I love this and it has become a discussion at our morning time together with the Lord.

It amazes me how children are born with an incredible understanding of things beyond their years. Yes, it is a wise thing to ask for the blessing of the Lord, but it is also a beautiful thing to ask Jesus for our family to be a blessing. I looked up the word "bless" and found this definition; "to request of God the bestowal of divine favor or to bestow good of any kind upon."

As I was teaching my grandsons about how to bless, a story came to mind. I have a friend I pray with once a week in a prayer group. We pray for all kinds of things the Lord brings to mind. This friend has made a habit of praying for the people who visit one of the Taco Bells in town and for the employees there. My friend has taken this as a responsibility and as a commission from the Lord. She goes there and prays whenever the Lord asks her to. In my opinion, this is how cities are transformed!

Well, my friend brought a prayer request before us about a week ago. She noticed, while in the Taco Bell, that the manager looked sad. So she sat her down and asked her how she could pray for her. The manager told her that her "ex" had taken her one-year-old daughter a year ago. She had not seen or heard about her daughter for one year! She wanted my friend to pray for her daughter to be returned. So, my friend prayed with her and then brought the request to the prayer group--we prayed together and continued praying individually.

This situation absolutely broke my heart, so I prayed often as I thought of the despair this situation would cause me. Sometimes, when in a public place, I have lost track of my child for a moment and begun to panic. I can't imagine the pain and terror of an entire year without my child!!

Two days after our prayer meeting, I woke up early and decided to read the paper. On the second page, I read a small article about a man being captured in Phoenix who had taken his child illegally from her mother. Then it said, to my shock, that the child had been returned to her mother in Flagstaff. The girl was two years old. At this point, I jumped out of my chair. I was sure it was the little girl and mother I had been praying for! This Wednesday, my friend confirmed it was true. In two days, God had answered these prayers.

This is an example of how we bless. We look around and see those who are hurting. And, we notice. We offer to pray for their needs with faith, knowing that Jesus is; "Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us..." Ephesians 3:20. I can't think of a better way anyone could have blessed this mother.

Sometimes we are able to bless by providing something for someone in need. If it is not possible to do this, then, asking Jesus to meet the need, however great or small, is the greatest blessing we can give!! And in the process, they receive the blessing of blessings. Seeing Jesus come alive in the world around them!!

In 2 Corinthians 1:11 it says; "...you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many." So let me pray for us today this sweet, little, powerful prayer from the heart of my grandson; "Lord, help us to bless!"