At some point during the morning rush each day these words run through my mind.

Dear Lord,

Please protect their eyes from seeing things they should not see

their ears from hearing things they should not hear

and their mouths from saying things they should not say.

Amen.

It’s tempting to feel like I need to come to God on my knees with elaborate prayers and eloquent words. But if God was impressed by eloquence, he never would have called Moses to lead his people. And though there is great value in spending time on my knees before the Lord, he hears the simple prayers too.

I do have many specific and individual prayers for my three kids, each of whom have specific and individual needs, but protection from the ugly parts of this fallen world is one of my greatest concerns in the hours they spend outside of the realm of my watchful eye.

So I will continue to pray these words that come straight from the lyrics of a song I sang in Sunday School oh-so-many years ago.  And I will continue to trust that the one I pray to cares even more for my children than I do.

Our prayer and God’s mercy are like two buckets in a well; while one ascends, the other descends.  ~ Arthur Hopkins