A Sweet Little Way to Pray

Today’s church service at my home church was so sweet. The summertime services are very relaxed, being held out on the side lawn of the church as weather permits.

Today’s worship leader was speaking on the Lord’s prayer, so the Scriptures and hymns were all focused on the topic of prayer.

My favourite part of the service was when Mary taught us a way to pray that she said she used in Sunday School for teaching children how to pray. It was so sweet, I couldn’t help wanting to share it with you.

She held up one hand and said we would use our fingers to help us remember what to pray about:

1)The thumb- is the finger closest to our hearts- so when we hold up our thumb, we remember to pray for the people we love- our family and friends.

2) The forefinger is the one we use to point, so when we hold up our forefinger, we pray for those who guide and teach us- our teachers.. anyone who guides us into truth.

3) The middle finger is our longest finger, so when we hold it up we pray for those who lead us- our government officials, all those who need wisdom from above to do their work well.

4) The ring finger is the weakest finger. When we hold our hand in a fist and try to raise the ring finger on its own, we can’t do it! (Try this- it’s true- I didn’t know this before today!!) So when we raise our ring finger, we remember to pray for those who are weak and helpless. Those who need our help and our support.

5) The baby finger is the smallest finger. As we raise this finger, we think of ourselves. We want to bring to God our own concerns. Though we are just one person, we are very beloved and important in God’s eyes and God loves to hear our prayers.

I just went for a walk, and as I walked, I looked at my hand and at each finger and found it a great way to pray as I walked. I hope you enjoy this simple, childlike and effective way to pray too!