Picture a refrigerator door adorned with a child’s drawing. It might be a little messy, with wobbly lines and colors that spill over the edges, but it’s displayed with pride. It’s not about artistic perfection; it’s about love. The parents treasure it because it holds a piece of their child’s heart. Thisis how God sees our prayers—imperfect, simple, yet treasured. Even if we feel our requests are trivial, God cherishes them as expressions of our faith and our love.

In Luke 8:49, we encounter a father’s heartbreaking moment. Jairus hears from the messengers, “Your daughter is dead; don’t bother the teacher anymore.” Don’t bother Him. Do you hear the resignation there? The quiet retreat, the belief that somehow their sorrow, their need, was now a burden too great to bring to Jesus. How often do we find ourselves in the same mindset? We think, “I shouldn’t bother God with my small struggles, my repeated failures, my little aches.” We tell ourselves He has more important matters to attend to, and in doing so, we pull away, believing our cries are nothing but a nuisance to Him. But this couldn’t be farther from the truth.

When we think we are “bothering” God, we’re holding back the very thing He longs for—a relationship where we come to Him openly, honestly, with our whole hearts. Just as a parent treasures that clumsy drawing, God treasures each of our prayers, whether they’re full of confidence or barely hanging on by a thread. Our hesitance may stem from feeling unworthy or unimportant, but in God’s eyes, we are His beloved. Jesus, in that very moment with Jairus, didn’t turn away, He didn’t say, “Don’t bother me.” Instead, He stepped forward, drawing closer, willing to meet Jairus in his sorrow and bring hope into a hopeless situation.

So many of us refrain from “bothering” God with our daily needs, our moments of doubt, or our smallest worries, as if we’re only allowed to come to Him in dire need or grand success. Yet, what joy it must bring Him when we approach Him without restraint, when we bring our messiest drawings, our most stumbling words, and deepest wounds. God is never inconvenienced by us. His heart is open, ready to receive even the simplest of prayers.

Let us lay aside our reservations, those voices that say, “Don’t bother Him,” and instead let ourselves be drawn close. Just as Jesus came near to Jairus, so He desires to come near to us. Our smallest concerns are not a bother to Him but a gift, an invitation for us to experience His boundless, unwavering love.