Children's Prayers

We are coming up on another milestone this weekend. Monday marks 18 weeks and studies show that 65% of babies with Edward's Syndrome (Trisomy 18) are miscarried before this point, most of which are males. I am beginning to hate the internet and all its medical resources, but I feel like I need to be fully prepared with as much information as I can absorb over this wait period, rather than be totally bombarded with new information at our next appointment. We were scheduled to meet with the perinatologist on December 15th, but Jake has been honored with an invitation to attend further training with his company that week. We made the choice to postpone the appointment until the 30th. These last 4 weeks have crawled by and now we must wait a few more. However, I see it as a blessing. In the event that we do receive bad news, it will be after Christmas, and we will be able to fully enjoy this time with our families.

This brings me to my next point: our family. I have thought long and hard about how to tell our oldest that something may be wrong with his little brother. The moment we told him that a little boy was on the way, he had a name picked out for him..."Broccoli Jones." While Jake and I aren't totally sold on it, we find it sweet that he has named him. He keeps asking when I will "burp him out," which always makes me laugh. We have prayed with Hunter for our baby boy several times and I have made it a point to ask God to give us a healthy baby, but the other night, when we finished praying, Hunter looked at me and said, "Mom, Jesus is right next to us always. No matter what." Tears welled up in my eyes. How could someone so young be so wise? God uses little children in miraculous ways. I think their innocence makes them privy to a relationship with Him that it is sometimes hard to reach as adults in a fallen world. I think God gives them wisdom and hope and He certainly allowed His words to come from Hunter's lips that night. How do you tell a child that there may be something terribly wrong with his brother?

"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:30-21 (ESV)

Prayers are a funny thing. We initially pray for what we want, but as our relationship with the LORD grows, He transforms our will to be more in line with His. We begin praying not for our will, but His will. Then, His will becomes our will and that is all that fills our hearts. It is hard for us, as adults, to understand why God doesn't answer our prayers the way we think He should. When we cry out from the depths of our hearts to save a loved one, especially a child, and He chooses to take them to heaven, it is sometimes beyond our comprehension. I want to teach my son to pray boldly, to bring all his cares to the feet of Jesus, but as a parent, I struggle with the desire to guard his tender heart from all hurt. I'm afraid that I'll be inadequate...inadequate as a mother and as a believer in my ability to explain the tough outcomes. I want us to all pray for a miracle, because I know He can provide one. But, what if He chooses to take our little boy to heaven before we can watch him grow, hold his hand, and hear him laugh. How do you explain that to a child?

"Count is all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you my be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-4 (ESV)