Pray like an insistent toddler

[TK421]

Pray like an insistent toddler, pope suggests

"Pope Francis today in his morning homily offered some advice on how to get what we need in prayer: be insistent, pray with courage, and be ready to “fight” with God to get what is for our good.

Drawing from today’s Gospel about the man who goes to a friend in the night, asking bread for a newly arrived guest, the Holy Father said that we have to be insistent in prayer…"

 

[Trishie]

Jesus Himself indicated the effectiveness of such persistence:

Luke 11:5-13​

5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

 

[MarthaSo]

Oh good I’m on the right track then!
Good morning and God bless all.

 

[0Scarlett_nidiyilii]

LOL I can hear it now:
“Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad…!”

 

[MarthaSo]

When my now teen son was a toddler his room was next door to mine and every night I would hear the endearing chant of “Mommy, mommy, mommy…” I was very warmed by this and would get up and give him the company he wanted.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Understand what Jesus meant and don’t behave like a child literally, as I’ve seen some people do, including an aunt, who although very devote, also suffered from schizophrenia. A Mass you could hear her saying the Lords Prayer sounding like a toddler. It was distracting.

Jim

 

[dochawk]

LOL I can hear it now:
“Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad…!”

The old tale . . .

“Daddy, may I have a glass of water?”
“No. Go back to sleep.”

A bit later, another “Daddy, may I have a glass of water?”
“No. Go back to sleep.”

Some time later,
“Daddy, may I have a glass of water?”
“No. Go back to sleep. If you wake us up again, I will come and spank you.”

And eventually,

“Daddy, when you come in to spank me, would you please bring a glass of water?”

:crazy_face:

hawk

 

[italiangirl1]

It is very encouraging for me to hear these words. I am not very constant in prayer, I need someone to remind me that it is so important to pray.
It helps me to think that prayer is a dialogue with God and that the Lord wants our constant and insistent prayer.
I make the intention to pray more.

 

[fin]

Thanks for sharing. I agree that we should persevere in asking in prayer. Although some people will say, stop asking, it’s not God’s will or not meant to be. It is hard to determine at what one point should one stop specifically asking for something, or never.

In my experience, I have stopped asking for certain things thinking it may not be, only to find myself to start asking again. Maybe the deepest desires don’t go away easily, if at all.