Becoming like a child again...

Oh to have faith like a child.

Matthew 18: 1- 3... At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said,

“Who then is greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” And He called a child

to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I said to you,

unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter

the kingdom of heaven.”

Most of us would probably say that we know those verses well or are familiar

with that passage. We’ve at least heard the phrase

‘childlike faith’ or ‘having the faith of a child’.

Through the years, as I have had the wonderful opportunity to spend a

lot of time with children, I have learned just what Jesus meant in

that passage. Children speak and view life with such innocence and

what we might at times refer to as “blind faith”. They don’t question

the intentions of God; they trust that He has their ultimate good in

mind...because He said so. To them, it’s that simple. You might argue

that it’s because they haven’t seen the harsh realities of life

yet...just give them time. What will time do? Will it change who God

is? No. We are the ones who change, and our view of God alters as we

grow, experience difficulties, are influence by other’s opinions. This

is why Jesus says we must become like the children who see Him simply

as He says he is, no questions asked, no doubts, just pure, unhindered

faith.

I was reminded of the beauty of this during a conversation I had with

our sweet 12 yr old girl, while she was sweeping my office.

Somehow, during the little conversations we had, we got on to the subject of

prayer. She told me that she was praying on something specific and I

replied, “I pray that the Lord would answer that prayer for you.” I

will never forget what she said. She stopped what she was doing,

looked at me and said with all the confidence in the world, “God has

already answered my prayer. I just haven’t reached to the time yet.”

When I tell that that struck me with such conviction because how often

have I approached a prayer, either hoping for an immediate answer or

worrying what that answer will be? Instead, I should be walking

forward in faith, knowing that my prayer has already been answered and

whatever that answer may be, it can only be for my good.

I praise the Lord for speaking through a child that day to convict and

encourage me in my walk with the Lord. May we all become a little more

childlike in our faith and believe that our prayers have already been

answered...we just haven’t seen it yet.

~Ashley