“‘Allow the children to come to me,’ Jesus said. ‘Don’t forbid them, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to people like these children'” (Matthew 19:14, CEB).

One Saturday morning my little girl woke up early and came in my room and crawled into bed with me. Since I wanted to sleep in, I told her to close her eyes and go back to sleep.

As we were laying there I heard her whisper this prayer: “Dear God, Please make it snow so I can build a snowman.”

Her prayer was cute indeed. But was it biblical? Was it a prayer that God really answers?

At first glance her little girl prayer may seem a bit self-serving. But, she’s just five years old, so maybe that’s to be expected.

After all, aren’t so many of our prayers rather self-serving?

“Dear God, Please bless me.”

     “Dear God, Please fix my problem.”

          “Dear God, Please make this happen.”

And we’re grown-ups!

But I would suggest that the prayer of this five-year-old was probably more biblical and less self-serving than many, if not most, of our grown-up prayers.

You see, she wanted to do something useful and helpful with the snow that she prayed God would provide. She wanted to make a snowman for all to enjoy out of the snow that God would send.

She wanted to take God’s work and bear fruit with it!

We could make our prayers more biblical and less self-serving if we followed her example.

“Dear God, Please bless me so I can bless others.”

     “Dear God, Please fix my problem so I will be enabled to help others.”

          “Dear God, Please enable me to do your will, empower me to fulfill your plans and purposes.”

“Dear God, Please snow on my life so I can build snowmen for your glory!”

Our Father who is in heaven, uphold the holiness of your name. Bring in your kingdom so that your will is done on earth as it’s done in heaven. (Matthew 6:9-10, CEB)