Every Which Way We Pray
It’s been a little while since the last addition to our “Little Readers” section and this weekend I read a book to A that we had checked out from the library that I just cannot help but share.
Every Which Way We Pray by Joyce Meyer.
As I was walking across the bookshelves on our way to check out our stack of books and I could not help but grab it. We read it just before A’s nap and I loved it so much.
The story follows Hayley and Harley, two hippos, who are discussing how to pray. Throughout the story they go through the Everyday Zoo park encounter other members of their community like Miss Bimble the lamb, Pouch the pelican, Sarge the Bear and more who join the conversation.
The story we read that Hayley has a book that tells her you have to pray in a specific way. These ways include things you have to do in order to pray to God like folding your hands, praying quietly, kneeling, using fancy words, and other common misconceptions.
As they walk through Hayley’s book their friends in the town help squash these misconceptions. Hayley and Harley learn they can talk to God anytime, any place, in any way. Sarge sums it quite nicely in the book when he says, “Prayer is simple. You talk. You listen. You praise. You think. You ask advice. You stay in touch with your Maker. Period. Got it?… Oh, and one more thing has to come from here…your heart.”
What I love so much about this book is that these are very common misconceptions for many people. We have all experienced someone that feels like maybe they can’t talk to God right or if they mess up thing up maybe He won’t listen to them. I know I have personally felt insecure leading prayer with the fear that I would be judge that I was not doing it “correctly” in someone else’s eyes.
Seeing that this is put into a children’s book and it’s something that we are trying to stop us with our children early made me incredibly happy. I want both of my children to know that God is always with us and they can always talk to him in prayer. I love that this book reiterates that message that I tried to instill in my children.
See if your local library has Every Which Way We Pray or buy it on Amazon!
