Childlike Faith

April 28

Joshua 19

Psalm 51:11-15

Proverbs 12:11-12

Luke 18:1-23

Childlike Faith

“But Jesus called for them, saying, ‘Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.’”  Luke 18:16-17 LSB

In American culture, children hold a lot of status.  Family life revolves around children’s activities and we place a lot of emphasis on our children’s wishes and desires.  That was not the case in Biblical times.  Children were seen and not heard.  They were in the background and had no status in society.  Jesus’ words here don’t seem that strange to us, but to the people in His day, this would have been a radical idea.  Let’s examine what Jesus meant when He said that whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child would never enter it.  God desires that we have childlike dependence and trust.  As adults we think we are supposed to take care of ourselves, support ourselves and stand on our own two feet.  Children know they can’t provide for themselves and are completely dependent on their parents for food, clothing, and a place to live.  They have faith that their parents will protect them and provide for everything they need.  They don’t worry about how they will pay the bills or where their next meal is going to come from.  They don’t lose sleep over it because they just trust they will be taken care of.  They are carefree and have a joy and peace that is evident.  We struggle to trust God in this way because we have the idea that somehow we are supposed to be in control.  Placing our complete trust in God to protect, provide and care for us means we are vulnerable.  There is nothing in the Bible that suggests we are supposed to be self-reliant.  Just as a child depends on their parent for everything, God desires that we depend on Him for everything.  We have no reason not to trust God.  He is completely faithful and will never let us down (Matthew 6:25-34, 7:11, Philippians 4:19, Psalm 23, 34:10, 37:25, Luke 12:6-7).

            Children also have a sense of wonder and innocence that pleases God.  The older we get, we tend to become suspicious and guarded.  We question the miraculous and have a harder time believing things at face value.  We don’t take the time to appreciate the beauty of God’s creation around us because we are too busy to notice.  Instead of acknowledging His intervention in our lives, we tend to write it off as coincidence or luck.  Children have a curiosity and desire to learn.  They know they don’t have everything figured out so they are much more open to learning new things.  Children are humble and submissive.  They recognize authority and willingly obey (well most of the time).  They desire to be with their parents because they make them feel safe and secure.  Jesus wanted His disciples, and all followers to recognize and accept that we are beloved children and our heavenly Father wants to take care of us.  It pleases Him greatly when we give our troubles to Him and trust Him to handle them in the best way.