A Silly Little Prayer

Years ago, for the very first time, I read the gardening section of the newspaper. I found myself attracted to an article about hummingbirds. According to the article, it was hummingbird season and time to keep an eye out for these tiny creatures.

Fascinated with the information, I found it hard to believe that hummingbirds existed in my corner of the world. I had seen them in movies or TV specials, but never in person.

And so, I sent a short, simple prayer up to Heaven.

“I would love to see a hummingbird, Lord.”

I forgot about my prayer until a few days later. I was admiring the flowers I had planted outside my door. I planted beautiful impatiens that spilled out of two large terra cotta pots. I was excited with the results, excited because the flowers actually grew! I was pleasantly surprised with my beginner’s luck.

Suddenly, without warning, a tiny, green bird flitted magnetically to my flowers. I had to take a second look. Was it a hummingbird? I wasn’t sure. I kept looking and staring, and yes it was a hummingbird!

Needless to say, I was thrilled and my heart was bubbling! I was happy that the Lord answered my prayer but more than that, I had an overwhelming sense of how God knew my innermost thoughts!

The prayer I thought as trivial and insignificant was important to God. Important enough to answer!

His answer to my prayer was a display of love. It was a clear indication to me that my thoughts were important. My “silly” prayer, significant.

Three years went by before I saw another hummingbird. Until one particular summer.

Once again, I was looking out my door, except this time, I wasn’t admiring the fruit of my labor. It was near the end of the summer and the petunias I had planted were no longer looking vibrant and pretty. They were long and gangly, the flowers were withered, and only a handful of blooms were thriving. Just about everything in the container was floundering. I disliked what they had become and blamed myself for their embarrassing appearance. It was a bit of a fail.

As I continued gazing at this sad image, a reminder of God’s love came into view. A beautiful, little hummingbird flew to the flowers with intense precision. It danced upon the few petunias that still had a bit of life in them. The hummingbird seemed to kiss each available flower, and then just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished. In that brief moment, God reminded me that he hadn’t forgotten me.

Just like the petunias, when I’m struggling, He is there. God is there not only when I am full of life, but He is there when I am feeling like a failure. Frayed, spent, and lacking vitality. This truth is so humbling. It clearly speaks to how real God is in my life. He sees me. And He sees you too!

When we become childlike and humble, with a surrendered heart we can sense the presence of God in our lives. This place of simplicity is where God meets us and speaks to us. When we become humble, we are able to let go of our limiting thoughts and give way to the opportunity for a real encounter with our Creator. He is all knowing to the most intricate details of our lives.

The hummingbird is the tiniest species of birds. Yet, it has incredible flight speed and agility. If I had not been paying attention that day, I could have missed its appearance. And it is so with the voice of God. I pray we can take on a childlike posture to slow down, open our hearts to Him, and receive the beauty of his touch in every aspect of our lives.

 

Psalm 139: 1-12

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.

You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”

even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day,

for darkness is as light to you.

May 6th is the National Day of Prayer

 and 

May 8th is World Collage Day 

I'd like to encourage you to combine the act of prayer with collage.

You can do this by creating your own expressive prayer collage! 

The pdf I'm attaching here will walk you through the process of how to create your own prayer collage. You can do this on your own or with a group of friends. It's an amazing experience designed to enhance your prayer life. Enjoy!

Click here to open Prayer Collage instructions

What does a prayer collage look like? There is no right or wrong way to do this! 

Below is a sample of a prayer collage, created by my sweet friend, Lolita V.  

Each component she included in her collage cultivated a rich and personal prayer experience.

I hope you create your very own prayer collage!