Over fifty years ago, Brother David, SSF began using this prayer with adults. It was immediately taken to. Over fifty years later it still comes up so often in my own prayers and I have been thinking of it in thinking about teaching young and very young children to pray. We seem to take for granted children know we mean when we say "prayer," and yet, I wonder. I wonder what it means to them if they have never been taught to pray and know nothing of "God." I think this might be a good place to begin, just having kids say this very, very slowly, and quietly... O my God, you are here. O my God, I am here. And always, always, you love me; When I am good with a love that makes you glad; when I am bad with a love that makes you sad, but always, always, you love me! And then attentive silence ("My soul in silence waits," says the Psalmist)." Just listening, and only listening, for moments, for weeks, for years, decades, for a lifetime, 'til God speaks, for there is really no need for words... And then perhaps later... O my God, you are here. O my God, I am here. O my God, _________* is here. *someone else O my God, we are here. And always, always, you love us; When we are good with a love that makes you glad; when we are bad with a love that makes you sad, but always, always, you love us! And then attentive silence. Just listening, and only listening. It was not to the High Priest Eli doing his daily ministrations that The LORD spoke, but to a young child, one "who did not know The LORD." Just thinking.

Over fifty years ago, Brother David, SSF began using this prayer with adults. It was immediately taken to. Over fifty years later it still comes up so often in my own prayers and I have been thinking of it in thinking about teaching young and very young children to pray. We seem to take for granted children know we mean when we say "prayer," and yet, I wonder. I wonder what it means to them if they have never been taught to pray and know nothing of "God." I think this might be a good place to begin, just having kids say this very, very slowly, and quietly... O my God, you are here. O my God, I am here. And always, always, you love me; When I am good with a love that makes you glad; when I am bad with a love that makes you sad, but always, always, you love me! And then attentive silence ("My soul in silence waits," says the Psalmist)." Just listening, and only listening, for moments, for weeks, for years, decades, for a lifetime, 'til God speaks, for there is really no need for words... And then perhaps later... O my God, you are here. O my God, I am here. O my God, _________* is here. *someone else O my God, we are here. And always, always, you love us; When we are good with a love that makes you glad; when we are bad with a love that makes you sad, but always, always, you love us! And then attentive silence. Just listening, and only listening. It was not to the High Priest Eli doing his daily ministrations that The LORD spoke, but to a young child, one "who did not know The LORD." Just thinking.
by Joel Watson

July 12, 2018 at 12:00PM
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