book review: The Lion Book of Prayers for Me
by Christina Goodings, Lion Hudson, 2012
Working at the Record, I have the great fortune of seeing publishers’ book lists cross my desk, practically begging me to order copies for review. Lately I’ve been choosing things that will appeal to my daughters; particularly the eldest, who’s five. I ordered Prayers for Me on somewhat of a whim. We recently began attending a wonderful church and my daughter has taken to it like a duck to water. Well, taken to church school, anyway. The service is a different story. Halfway through our first Sunday there (and her first time in church), she pronounced it “boring.” And I must admit, I have, in years past, thought the same.
But I digress.
Since my daughter looks forward to church school each week, sprinting down the aisle when the children are released, I figured it would be nice to continue her discussions about God and use the prayer book as part of our nightly bedtime ritual. We say grace at dinner, and occasionally whisper a prayer before bed, but a nightly occurrence it is not. I was hoping this book would change that.
And I was right.
My daughter makes sure we read from this book each and every evening—even on nights when she’s dawdled too much and the clock shows it’s bedtime past, she insists on reading a prayer before closing her eyes. As she’s still working on the reading – on – her – own department, we read line by line, with her repeating.
As mentioned above with the whole duck – to – church – school thing, this duck likes her bedtime prayers, too.
As I listen to her reciting these words—prayers of thanksgiving, of blessings, of friends and family and animals, of apology, and need—it strikes me that we’re made for this. That prayer is second nature, inborn, instinct. While her understanding of God is basic, her heart and her brain unimpeded by doctrine, or culture, or any number of things that keep us from God, her words to her Creator are genuine and beautiful. She has many questions, of course, about God and Jesus and heaven, but they don’t get in the way of her love for God. She has a seemingly natural reverence for her Lord—a desire to know more, to draw near.
While we do talk about God, our home is not an ultra – religious one, and our daughter was five before she stepped inside a church. So this hasn’t been taught. This curiosity for God. This questioning. This gratitude. This hope.
It simply is.
