There’s something I do that’s really dumb. Okay, there are a lot of things that probably qualify (though my wife will neither confirm nor deny this). What I’m thinking of, though, is my attitude when it comes to prayer.
Now, I like to pray, of course. I do it regularly. But when I think about my prayers, I realize that I’m actually pretty consistent with praying for “big” things. Whether bringing I know God can do the impossible. I know he won’t fail to deliver on his promises.
And yet, when it comes to the “little” things—that’s where I realize I’m… inconsistent. I forget that God cares for the details of my life, just as he does the birds and the wildflowers (Matthew 6:26-30). I read the words “you of little faith,” and feel their weight.
In the parable of the lost coin, Jesus described the woman who has ten coins, searching carefully until she finds the one she lost (Luke 15:8). The woman stands in for the Father in this parable. The coin that is found—the single soul who repents and is rejoiced over in heaven. Of this parable, Jared Wilson writes, “If the aim of God is that the knowledge of his glory will cover the earth like the waters cover the sea, inspecting between the cracks in the floor makes total sense. Our God is the God of the universe. And he is the God of square inches.”[1. As published in The Storytelling God: Seeing the Glory of Jesus in His Parables.]
In the same way, if God is the “God of square inches”—if he cares about the tiniest details, just as he rejoices over a single person who repents, then this needs to change how I pray. I can bring the smallest details to him—the “silliest” things that I might think he doesn’t have time for—and he will hear. Indeed, he knows these needs before I ask!
I must always remember that my needs aren’t too small. I really can come to him with everything. So can you.
