praise, prayer, and my son

While browsing today in the Message, the modern english version of the Bible which my wonderful Grandmother gave me for Christmas, I came across these words, written by David in Psalms 8: 1-2:

God, brilliant Lord, Yours is a household name.
Nursing infants gurgle choruses about You;
Toddlers shout the songs that drown out enemy talk
And silence athiest babble.

Right after those words are the famous ones that question who we are that God should think of us and put us in charge of the world, but I didn't even get to those, because I was so caught up with the image of my son singing songs about God so loud that Satan can't even be heard. I want that! The kingdom of Heaven belongs to little kids, and it's because they are innocent enough to sing God's praise and do His will without fear or hesitation. And why do children sing to God? Because that is what they know how to do best what they enjoy doing best, unless and until they are taught to do and enjoy other pastimes. What a burden that places on me as a mother, then, to continue teaching them that God's way is the best pastime. It's my job to teach them the songs to sing, it's my job to teach them to sing loud and proud and to drown out every voice that is antagonistic to God's own. How on earth am I supposed to live up to that expectation? How am I going to prepare myself for that responsibility? By singing my own heart out, by coming to God every single day willing to listen and obey, by making His a "household name." If I do that, then my son WILL drown out Satan, and God's name WILL "echo around the world."

Matthew has some insightful advice on just how to begin to achieve that perfect relationship with God. He says (chapter 6):

Here's what I want you to do: find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense His grace.
The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer- ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and He knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:
Our Father in heaven, reveal who You are.
Set the world right;
Do what's best--as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with You and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You're in charge!
You can do anything You want!
You're ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes."

I want my focus to be on God, and I don't want to be "prayer-ignorant." I talk to God conversationally whenever I unconsciously think of it (which coorelates directly to how much time I've been consciously giving Him), and yet my prayers are usually a lot more complicated and self-serving than the one Matthew holds as an example. "God, help me, help those I love, and oh yeah, You're pretty cool and You've blessed me a lot. But please, I want more" might be a quick summary of the comments I most often direct toward God. And not that there's anything specifically wrong with saying those things. But I know that what I should be saying more often is, "God, you're Awesome. Help me to sing Your songs. You're in charge. Teach me more about You. Set the world straight."

I want to live a life of God Worship, starting (and continuing) from today on, so that my son will naturally do the same. I want to "whistle, laugh, and jump for joy" (Ps. 9:2) because my heart is full, and God really does "set everything right."

What about you?