Mè yéga precious stones, Selamat pagi olive plants
Luke 18:16 (AMP) " But JESUS called them to Himself, saying [to the apostles], “Allow the children to come to Me, and do not forbid them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."
I was born, and I grew up in Cameroon, precisely in the city of Douala. Eldest and only right-hand of five children, now four. Since I was little, my father has particularly liked to designate me to bless the meal. He being Catholic and my mother JEHOVAH's witness, I believe beyond establishing this habit in me, for him, it was a way of looking for a form of "religious neutrality". I rarely heard my father pray, and my mother most time prays in silence (except when she blessed the meal or read us Bible stories). As a teenager, she stammered. When the stuttering ceased, the habit of praying in silence remained. You realize that when I had to bless the meal, I was going from virtually nothing. Glory to GOD this habit has been a catalyst for my life. I had to pray out loud, with my childish words without taking too long. For the child, I was, the message was clear "GOD hears children's prayers". I didn't have the adults' words but my prayers mattered.
If you are a parent, I strongly encourage you to give the Word to your children. Encourage them to pray. Pray for them, pray with them and invite them to pray. Sing with them, ask them what praise they would like to hear this morning? Find out what are their favorite Bible stories. May they feel free to pray with their words. As I wrote in my previous exhortation, There are no "little prayers. "➡➡ There are only sincere prayers, in accordance with His will (His Word) and made in faith. Don't wait until they undergo demonic attacks to teach them how to pray.
As a child, I had many nightmarish nights. I had attacks in my sleep. I saw people threatening to kill me, cut me into pieces, and cook them in a big pot. I heard strange noises. Every time I tried to scream, no sound came out of my mouth. I was paralyzed in my sleep. I was suffocating. Sometimes when I woke up I was so scared that I didn't even dare to get out of my bed to knock on my parents' door. I cried silently and exhausted I fell back to sleep. My mother prayed with me before sleeping. She was left an hour after I fell asleep. Some nights she got up several times (my father was very often on business trips).
One night I really thought my last hour had come. During the day on TV, I saw a little girl praying. She was addressing JESUS like He was standing right in front of her. This scene marked me so much that I went to my room to open my collection of Bible stories and read all the stories about JESUS. That night I fell asleep without eating anything. That same night was the worst of all, but with all my thoughts I cried out to JESUS. It wasn't an audible cry, but GOD heard the cry of the eight-year-old little girl I was. Someone dressed in white appeared, untied the ropes from the tree I had been tied to, knocked over the big pot, and chased away those oppressing me. Looking at me, He only said, "stay behind me". I couldn't say it was JESUS, maybe it was an angel. Anyway, after this intervention my nights were peaceful. The next morning I woke up singing in tongues, filled with inexplicable joy. Hallelujah!
In the following years, my family experienced painful events. Without verbalizing it, I resented GOD. I no longer had nightmares, but I was losing joy. I no longer trusted Him "completely". Anyhow, as I knew He was listening to me, every once in a while I questioned Him, prayed, read my Bible, and chose to obey the Word when it suited me. I stopped speaking in tongues and eventually forgot that I had received this gift. Besides, I didn't even know that it was the gift of speaking in tongues. I've always thought I was just singing in a foreign language.
As an adult, when I definitively accepted JESUS, the words "sincerity" and "intimacy" took on their full meaning. I started my prayers with simple words, I spoke as if GOD was physically standing in front of me. If I felt the need to cry and smile I wasn't embarrassed. I couldn't pretend, etc. All this because from an early age, I'm conscious that my prayers matter. Once again if you are a parent, I strongly encourage you to give the Word and pray with your children. I am not yet a mother but without pretension, I believe my testimony is enough to encourage you. It doesn't matter if it's in the morning, at night, after school, or just before going to sleep. Find your moment. In the same way that everyone has his day for household chores, let each have his day to bless the meal or recommend the night. In short, give them the opportunity to put into practice what they learned on Sunday school. We learn to pray by praying.
** Mè yéga = Good morning (also means Thank You) in Bassa language (Cameroon).
** Selamat pagi = Good morning in Indonesian