A Prayer Inspired by Psalm 8
By Emma Danzey
“Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.” - Psalm 8:2
It's powerful to read the descriptions in the Bible of how God views children and babies. He cares for them and has beautiful lessons woven into learning from them. Psalm 8:2 powerfully reminds us that praise from these little ones has created strongholds against the enemy, to the point of silencing the avenger. The contrast between an innocent baby to an avenger is vast. However, baby-sized faith, mustard seed faith, moves mountains spiritually! Today we will come before God like little children, nothing fancy, just our hearts. We will seek Him and remember the truth that He is working on our behalf, and we can depend on Him.
Let's Pray:
Our Father,
Thank You that we do not have to be the most well-spoken or equipped to pray to You. Thank You that You invite the least of these to come to You. We are welcomed in Your presence by Your blood Jesus. Thank You that as we praise You, even with simple songs, words, or actions, it is pleasing to You and powerful against the works of the enemy. You are our God. You are not only Ruler over all creation, but You are also our adopted Father. By Your grace, we are saved. We cry, Abba Father. Dad, thanks for being perfect. Thanks for loving us fully. Thanks for caring for our deepest and smallest wounds. Thanks for protecting us from evil, giving us life, and bringing us into Your family forever. When we get tempted to focus on spiritual intellect, help us to be child-like in our faith and remind us of the heart of dependence and need we have from You. Hold us, please. Help us when we fall. We cannot live without You. You have promised to always be with us and never leave us. Thank you for Your presence and Your love. Thank You for giving us Your identity, even though we fail.
As we look and observe the actions and lives of little ones daily, we may better understand how we are supposed to live in a relationship with You, totally dependent, trusting, and believing. You are the Perfect Father. Where our earthly fathers (or lack thereof) have tainted our view of You, would You please give us a corrected perspective of Your goodness and love? Show us and reveal how You are everything we have ever longed for, and You are our good Father who delights in giving us the good gift of Your Spirit. Where we feel hurt, broken, or hold shame from earthly fathers and their sin, mend us and reveal who You truly are and how You never let us down.
God, we pray You would hold us close to Your heart. Please help us. We, like children, all need You to survive and sustain our lives. We cannot live without You. The very breath we each take in now is by Your creation. We are in awe that You are sovereign and reigning overall. You say in John 1:12 that all who receive Jesus, You give the right to be children of God to those who believe in Your name. We come to You today not just as servants before a king or workers to a boss but as children to our Father. This love is great, personal, and real. We do not deserve it, and we cry out to You for Help demolish strongholds from the enemy. Bless us with Your full armor. We humble ourselves to have child-like attitudes of belief and confidence in You. We love You, Father, praise You, and thank You for adopting us into Your forever family through Jesus. In Your name, Amen.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/zeljkosantrac
Emma Danzey’s mission in life stems from Ephesians 3:20-21, to embrace the extraordinary. One of her greatest joys is to journey with the Lord in His Scriptures. She is wife to Drew and mom to Graham. Emma serves alongside her husband in ministry, she focuses most of her time in the home, but loves to provide articles on the Bible, life questions, and Christian lifestyle. Her article on Interracial Marriage was the number 1 on Crosswalk in 2021. Most recently, Emma released Treasures for Tots, (Scripture memory songs) and multiple books and devotionals for young children. During her ministry career, Emma has released Wildflower: Blooming Through Singleness, two worship EP albums, founded and led Polished Conference Ministries, and ran the Refined Magazine. You can view her articles on her blog at emmadanzey.wordpress.com
Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You'll soon be able to subscribe to receive Your Nightly Prayer via email, or as a podcast, but for now you can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on who God is.
Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
Kerry Washington. Andrea Bocelli. Reba McEntire. Mark Wahlberg. Tony Dungy. Matthew McConaughey, What do all of these people have in common? They are all people of faith who have leaned on God in both the good and challenging times—and they’ve shown up to tell their story of faith on The Jesus Calling Podcast. The Jesus Calling Podcast provides a place for people from all walks of life to share the heartaches, joys, and divine moments that keep them going.
Inspired by Sarah Young's classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts.
Now that you've prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below!
