A Little Girl’s Big Prayer Sometimes the prayers we remember most aren’t the biggest ones.

When I was 12 years old, I was a complete tomboy. I loved playing baseball, and I was pretty competitive, too!

Our school had a championship baseball game scheduled during our lunch hour, and I wanted our team to win so badly that I could hardly sleep the night before.

I had become a Christian when I was eight years old, and even at that young age, I knew I could talk to God about the things that mattered to me.

And believe me, winning that baseball game mattered!

So that night, I prayed.

I asked God to please help our team win the championship.

Now, I don’t remember everything about that game, but I remember how it ended as though it happened yesterday.

The bases were loaded. There were two outs. And I was playing out in the outfield.

For those of you who don’t know baseball, that meant the other team had three runners waiting to score, and we needed just one more out to end the game. And win.

Then someone hit a fly ball.

And it was coming toward me!

I couldn’t believe it!

I caught it!

Three outs! The game was over, and our team had won the championship!

And the best part? I got to catch the ball that ended the game, just before the lunch bell rang.

I can still remember how I felt.

I knew immediately that God had answered my prayer!

Not only had our team won, but He had allowed me to be the one who caught that final ball.

And I knew right then. I didn’t have to grow up and look back on that day to recognize His goodness.

Now, more than 50 years later, I still remember that little girl’s prayer and how God answered it.

Of course, I’ve lived long enough to know that God doesn’t always answer our prayers the way we hope He will.

I’ve prayed prayers that were answered differently than I wanted. Instead of no, I have something better for you, or wait, God has taken my desire away for what I thought I wanted. Maybe He knew it would never change, and He didn’t want me to keep hurting over it.

I also prayed prayers that seemed to go unanswered. And I’ve walked through some incredibly difficult seasons when I couldn’t understand what God was doing.

But one thing I’ve learned is that God cares about what matters to us. Even those little things, like a child’s baseball game.

Sometimes we think we should only bring the big things to Him. The serious things. The things we can’t possibly handle ourselves.

But why?

He’s our heavenly Father.

And just as a loving earthly father delights in hearing what’s on his child’s heart, our heavenly Father invites us to bring everything to Him. Everything.

Even a baseball game.

I wonder how many times I’ve missed the opportunity to talk to God about something because I thought it was too small to bother Him with.

That little 12-year-old girl didn’t worry about that.

While safely tucked under her covers, she just prayed.

And I’m so glad she did.

Because all these years later, that answered prayer still sticks with me.

“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” — 1 Peter 5:7 (KJV)

What about you? Do you remember a prayer God answered when you were a child? I’d love to hear about it! ❤️