Brave Enough to Pray The One Word Prayer

I’m not quite sure how old I was when I started getting the remarks on my report card: Lynn needs to learn how to be quiet. I guess it was at whatever age I started getting report cards. I read them. I talked to my mom about the changes I needed to make. But when it came to actually making the change, I didn’t.

I didn’t change until the consequences were about to become huge.

Begging my parents for a wonderful opportunity, they allowed me to make the switch from a public school to a private school in seventh grade. I really enjoyed it, but my teachers were not enjoying me. My talkative ways were disrupting their classes. So, after my first semester I was given an ultimatum: find the self- control I needed or find a new school.

Now, my teachers had my attention. The question was: Could I do it? Could I really have that much self-control?

I wrote in my little, gold Five-year diary: “Lord, I really like this school, but I don’t know if I can make this change. I really, really need your help.”

Help. It’s the one-word prayer God can answer.

The first thing I needed to understand in order to change was that I wasn’t just disobeying my teachers. By disobeying my teachers, I was disobeying God.

Second, I needed to get that God understood that change was hard for me. He wasn’t mad at me. He got me and He would help me.

Hebrews 4:13–16 tells us, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. Christ is Our High Priest. So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” (NLT)

Do you see what I see? God understands our weaknesses. He is not mad at us; He gets us. That is why we can boldly come to Him as His daughters and bravely say, “Daddy, help!”

Jesus helped me. I learned the self-control I needed to keep my thoughts in my head until it was the right time to talk. I am so thankful I did. I got to stay at my school.

BECOMING BRAVE

Is there an area in your life you need to change? Reread Hebrews 4:13–16 in another Bible transla- tion. Ask an adult or older sibling to help you use Biblegateway.com and try reading this verse in The Message. Are you surprised at the way God feels about our weaknesses?

COURAGEOUS CALL

Dear Jesus, help! In Jesus’ name, Amen.