A story on the theme of Matthew 6.5-15

Theme:  Prayer is our key connection with God, but in private, not in public.

Change the names and parental genders as works best for your context.

Benny liked to say his nighttime prayers with his mom or dad or both. He’d lay down in his bed and close his eyes and start with a short prayer that he had learned, but then he or his mom or his dad might add things. Sometimes, he told God how great God was for the whole world that God had created or for how much he loved Benny and his family. Sometimes he thanked God for things that God had given him that day, like his favorite french fries for supper or the chance to play after school with his friend, Eric, who had come over to his house. Sometimes he told God that he was sorry for something he had done to hurt someone else that day -- like his big sister who he had hit because she wouldn’t share her candy bar and he asked God to forgive him. He usually asked God to help or heal or feed someone in his family or someone he’d heard about in the world who was sick or needed food or a place to live. And, of course, if he was going to be doing something hard at school the next day like taking a test or trying out for the soccer team, he asked God to be with him and help him do his best. He’d end his prayer with a soft ‘Amen’ and then his mom or dad would give him a hug and kiss and ask God to bless him while he slept. 

But he didn’t stop praying and go right to sleep when his parents left and closed the door behind them. Some nights he just liked to stay very, very quiet and listen, in case God wanted to say something to him. Now he didn’t hear God’s voice like your voice or mine, but sometimes God seemed to put an idea into his head, it was almost always a kind idea about helping someone or a reminder about how someone had helped him. Sometimes when he was very, very still, he just liked to imagine that he was cuddling up to God, just like he cuddled up to his mom or dad when they finished reading him a book and sat quietly together enjoying one another’s company.

He knew that one of the ways he could hear from God was by reading his Bible, but he always felt like praying and just being very, very quiet was another way that he could feel and hear God say how much God loved him. I wonder what he might hear from God tonight?