YOU’RE WELCOME

My kids are amazing little people. Getting to be their mom and walking alongside them as they learn about Jesus has been so much fun. 

On my journey of learning about the Holy Spirit, I decided that most of what I learn I am going to pass along to my kids. I am told in Scripture that I am to “train up a child in the way they should go and they will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

I do not take this lightly. 

There has been some trial and error as each kid is so unique. But it has also been very rewarding and satisfying as I learn about what makes them tick and how to present Jesus to each one so that they can make their own decisions about following Him.

ASKING QUESTIONS AND USING OUR IMAGINATIONS 

One thing I taught my kids is that the Lord uses our imaginations to speak to us (Check out this post as I go into detail about having a sanctified mind that the Lord can use to speak to us).

I taught them to ask Jesus questions. The first thing that comes to mind is usually His response.

Since everything you receive in prayer needs to be put through the filter of Scripture (making sure it lines up with what it says), I usually have the kids ask Jesus questions in front of me. Then I ask them to tell me the response so I can affirm it and let them know how it lines up with scripture OR if it doesn’t line up with scripture, I help them discern.  

I have had them ask questions like the following:

• Ask Jesus who He wants you to pray for and how He wants you to pray for that person.
• Ask Jesus How He wants you to be kind to your siblings.
• Ask Jesus if you need to be afraid of this situation. If He says no, ask Him why not (He has never said yes).

These are just a few of the questions I have them ask. I will share a story about each one at a later time (these stories are SO AMAZING! I can’t wait to share them with you, but alas, I must wait).

THE STORY

My son, Hunter, is very thoughtful, loving, and realistic. Those characteristics put together make for a fun prayer life as he asks the Lord questions and seeks answers.

One night, I was putting him to bed, and as goes our routine, I usually have a question for Him to ask Jesus. Tonight was no different. 

“Hunter, ask Jesus who He wants you to pray for?”

“Jesus, who do you want me to pray for?” After a few seconds pause he said, “Mom, I am not getting anything.”

I have learned that if Jesus is silent while praying He may want you to ask a different question because He has something else He wants to tell you.

“That is okay, Hunter, let’s ask Him a different question. Ask Jesus if there is anyone He wants to you to bless.”

“Jesus, who do you want me to bless?” Again, there was a pause and he said, “Mom, I am not getting anything.”

Now I have been taught that sometimes God is silent and that is okay. That is when you start praying from your heart and you thank Him no matter what, because Colossians 4:2 says, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” and 1 Thess 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 

I want my kids to live this out and so I shared these verses again with Hunter and told him no matter what the Lord’s response was, we always thank Him for who He is and what He has done.

Hunter began thanking Jesus for the opportunity to pray to Him. Immediately Hunter got this HUGE smile on his face and stopped praying. 

“Hunter, what is happening? Is Jesus showing you something in your imagination?”

“Yes, mom, He is. I see a You’re Welcome sign.”

“What does it look like?”

“It looks like those neon signs that are big and bright.”

“Hunter, that is great. Thank Him for showing you that sign.”

He begins to laugh.

“Hunter, what is happening now?”

“I see the sign again. It keeps flashing in my head as I say, ‘Thank you.’”

We played around with this for a while. I had him try many different ways of thanking Jesus and each time that “You’re Welcome” sign flashed in his mind. Each time Hunter saw the “You’re Welcome” sign he would giggle and his giggles were so filled with joy!

As a mom, watching Him encounter the Lord this way was amazing! I didn’t want it to stop.

I was in awe. The God of the heavens had something He wanted to teach Hunter and me that morning. He is a teacher and has lessons He wants to pass on to His children (John 14:26). If we would have stopped praying because Jesus didn’t answer Hunter’s first question we would have missed this wonderful interaction. 

After He was done giggling, I began to explain to Hunter about having a thankful heart and how thanking the Lord is talked about all over Scripture (Col 3:15-17, Psalms 100:4-5, 106:1, 107:1, 118:1, 1 Thess 5:18, Col 4:2, 1 Chronicles 16:34, 2 Cor 9:11). What God was teaching Him was Biblical and I was there to help him understand what Jesus was showing him.

What’s fun about unfolding my understanding of having conversations with the Lord is that when He speaks He ALWAYS confirms Scripture. Whether it is by confirming His character or teaching something about Scripture, it can always be linked to His word. 

YOU’RE WELCOME CONTINUED

Now every time Hunter thanks the Lord for something, he sees the “You’re Welcome” sign in his head!

What an amazing God we have! He wants to be with us. He wants us to know what He is thinking. 

We all have the same Spirit and He wants to teach us, regardless of our age. There is no such thing as having a junior Holy Spirit!

You too can have conversations with the Lord. It is possible.

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

John 10:27

However, It takes practice. It is never too late to start listening and following! Check out this post I wrote on how to start listening.

CONNECT

Do you have any stories of when the Lord spoke to you and taught you something about Him? Please reach out. I would love to connect with you and get a conversation started. It would be an honor to pray for you too! Just let me know how I can intercede for you.

You can leave a comment below or connect with me on my CONTACT page.