28 October 2021-Learning to Pray

                My mother taught me and my siblings to pray.  The earliest prayer she taught us was for mealtime—the famous…

“God is good.  God is great.  Let us thank Him for our food.  By His hands, we must be fed.  Thank you, Lord, for our daily bread.”

The family altar and nightly prayer were a way of life for a year, 1963-1964.  While stationed in Mississippi, the Air Force had issued orders to Dad; he was going to Viet Nam as a parachute rigger for a year.  Our belongings were packed up and we moved to Rantoul, Illinois. 

Granny and Gramps Hildebrand lived in Rantoul.  They would be able to help look after us while Dad was overseas.

We moved before school started so that my brother and I could begin as the school year commenced.  There was a nearby Nazarene Church where we attended Sunday School and services. 

                 We missed Daddy a lot; he was one of the people we daily prayed for.  From the day we moved into the house, Mom had an evening routine for us. 

“Put your pajamas on, it’s time to get ready for bed.”  Mom sent my older brother, my younger sister, and me to change.  It was the first step in our evening ritual.  With our teeth brushed, our nightwear attiring us, we reported back to the living room (lounge for my British readers). 

Mommy usually read a Bible story.  Then we knelt down next to a chair or the couch, bowing our heads and closing our eyes.  Mom prayed first.  Each of us would pray out loud, asking our Heavenly Father to protect our Daddy and bring him home safely. 

Praying was natural for us during that time.  I think it helped us sleep, knowing that we could talk to God about things that concerned us.  We prayed in November 1963 when President Kennedy was killed.  We prayed for Mom when she had to go to an Air Force hospital for minor surgery.  While she was away, Grandma Cox (mom’s mother) stayed with us.  And she made sure to keep our family alter time. 

Today prayer is an ongoing conversation between me and God.  I send up prayers while I’m walking, cleaning up the kitchen, watching the news on television.  I read the prayer emails from several ministries, and count it a privilege to pray for our Father’s work around the world. 

Helping others to learn how to pray is a special opportunity for me.  Every day, I thank Jesus that my mother taught me how to pray.