How do I handle this?

hope4me · #1 (**permalink**) 02-04-2008, 06:43 PM

I am at a loss with my 7 year old daughter. As she was sobbing to me last night about why her daddy doesn't want to come home and be a family, she said to me that she prays and prays and prays to God to bring her daddy home and God has not answered her prayers. She wants to know why God isn't allowing this prayer to come true. She also said why should she continue to pray if he doesn't listen to her in the first place? Please help with how I can explain things to her in a "kid" friendly way. Thanks to all. God Bless

christain737 · #2 (**permalink**) 02-04-2008, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hope4me

I am at a loss with my 7 year old daughter. As she was sobbing to me last night about why her daddy doesn't want to come home and be a family, she said to me that she prays and prays and prays to God to bring her daddy home and God has not answered her prayers. She wants to know why God isn't allowing this prayer to come true. She also said why should she continue to pray if he doesn't listen to her in the first place? Please help with how I can explain things to her in a "kid" friendly way. Thanks to all. God Bless

Okay, where to begin. If she is 7, then she pretty much can reason and
hold a conversation with you. LOVE is the answer to everything. Tell her that you feel exactly the same way she does, but GOD gave her daddy a free will to make his own decisions just as GOD gave her a free will, too. Let her know that ALL humans were created with a free will. She needs to be continuosly reminded that even YOU still love daddy, and sometimes you feel sad and want daddy to come home, but daddy has to make up his mind. It's OK to tell her that "We both will always love daddy, and some day daddy will let both of us know, but he isn't ready yet." Explain that if you knew why daddy left, you could tell her, but you don't. The BEST course of action is to always remind her that YOU love her and will NEVER leave her. FIx hot meals and sit down together and talk her ear off until she is ready for bed. She needs a lot of reassurance because she's feeling anxious about the UNKNOWN. Even grown ups feel anxious about not knowing what's going to happen next. Father, In Jesus name, surround this mom and daughter with Your Peace. Shower them in Your love and cause them to have peaceful and refreshing sleep to meet the next day. Send You ministering angels to help them feel Your Presence, Father. We thank you and give You glory and honour for all these things. We ask all of these things from You because we KNOW that ALL things are posssible when we believe. Have a deep and restful sleep tonight and may the Lord visit you in your dreams. As always, I love you very much in Christ Jesus, our Saviour.

odiear3rd · #3 (**permalink**) 02-04-2008, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hope4me

I am at a loss with my 7 year old daughter. As she was sobbing to me last night about why her daddy doesn't want to come home and be a family, she said to me that she prays and prays and prays to God to bring her daddy home and God has not answered her prayers. She wants to know why God isn't allowing this prayer to come true. She also said why should she continue to pray if he doesn't listen to her in the first place? Please help with how I can explain things to her in a "kid" friendly way. Thanks to all. God Bless

hope4me: This is a very hard thing for a child to understand. My advice is to tell her that God Is Hearing her Prayer and is working on daddy. Sometimes daddies will resist listening to what God is telling them. She should continue to Pray for daddy and not give up on God working this out. Children want instant answers to the problems. Tell her not to hate daddy for not coming home. She must Love her daddy no matter what happens. I hope I have helped you with your problem. God Bless you for asking for Prayer. ODIE

optimistic2 · #4 (**permalink**) 02-04-2008, 08:06 PM

Tell your child to continue to pray and trust with her heart that God hears her. God may not always respond as fast as we would like but He is always on time. I pray that God answers your daughter's prayers.

May God bless you and your daughter with peace, love and joy.

Optimistic2

hope4me · #5 (**permalink**) 02-05-2008, 07:46 AM

Thank you ALL for responding with great advice. Going through this horrible time you kind of get lost with your mind and cannot think straight where I am at a lost for answers. Fortunately I am so Blessed to have you all to help me pick up my pieces that get scattered all around me. I cannot thank you all enough. I'm not sure what I would do without you. Thanks for hearing me. Thanks Be To God & God Bless

Lynda · #6 (**permalink**) 02-05-2008, 09:31 AM

This is a very hard one to answer. I guess I would try to keep my response as simple as possible. Maybe tell her that sometimes grown ups get in the way of each other making it so they can't live together anymore but that no matter where her daddy chooses to live he will Always be her daddy and will Always love her. And just like daddy will always love her, God will always love her and he is always listening to her prayers. His time is just different than ours and you realize how hard it must be to not give up but that You believe that he does hear all our prayers.Maybe pray with her.

Land-Of-Fire · #7 (**permalink**) 02-05-2008, 11:39 AM

Dear Hope i strongly agree with Christain and Odie. Thank goodness for God revealing this to them.... I have prayed for you. May Lord grant you His revelation and grace.