Asking God

Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Luke 11:11-13

Today, in our Gospel reading, we hear Jesus teaching his disciples how to pray. The Lord's Prayer, as we call it, is a series of petitions, a set of phrases asking for God's help in our daily journey. Simple childlike requests, for food and shelter, love and forgiveness. And then Jesus tells his disciples about God's faithfulness to respond to the needs of those who ask. God is loving, even when we are not. God is generous and faithful, even when we have lost our way. God is a good parent, even if we have only known selfish, cold parents. God is capable of loving us even when we feel unlovely and alone. God is answering even as we speak.

Today, I want to try to take everything to God in prayer. In the midst of life's struggles, it is easy to forget to pray through the hard times. And yet, God is faithful, even when I am not. I ask God for the strength to pray, the courage to open my heart to God's solutions and the perseverance to stay fixed on God's love in the midst of turmoil. May this day, be a day of prayer, childlike prayer, honest prayer, the prayer of a child who has complete faith in the generosity of God.