“For You are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God.”
Psalm 86:10
At one point or another, I’m sure most of us have heard the phrase “Childlike Faith.” This is a powerful concept and one that the bible seems to point to again and again when talking about Jesus’ interaction with children and His words spoken about children.
If you have ever spent any amount of time around a child, it doesn’t take long to observe that there is a strong sense of wonder in them. They are curious about life and they are amazed by the simplest of things. They can be entertained by something like a cabinet door or a block for hours on end. They have a trust for and a dependence on their caregiver that is an incredible example to us as adults.
God’s desire is for us to mature in our faith and simultaneously become like children. The following verse writes out Jesus’ exact words.
“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ And calling to Him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.’”
Matthew 18:1-4
It is interesting because Jesus says this phrase, but there is no manual that He wrote about what it means to “become like children.”
So take some time this week to think about a child. If you are around one, observe them. What is it about them that is so different than us? Ask the Lord to begin to reveal this scripture to you and give you revelation you didn’t have before about childlike faith.
In closing, let’s dive into one thing that truly sets children apart.
Wonder.
Wonder is defined as:
– a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable.
– desire or be curious to know something.
– feel admiration and amazement; marvel.
Every child has a sense of wonder in their eyes.
The world is a new place and they are amazed. They are curious. They have a desire to explore and learn; and their response to this wonder is humility as they ask questions or study their surroundings.
Throughout scripture we see the Lord and His works referred to as wonderful or wondrous. We see words like magnificent and glorious. We read of miracles and wonders.
Do we respond to these as a child would? Do we respond to the way He is moving in our world today as a child would, with wonder and amazement? Do we choose to look at things through a cynical worldview, or though the eyes of a child who is amazed at the faithfulness and beauty of the God who created the Universe?
We invite you to see things differently. Ask yourself how seeing the world differently might change the way you interact with people or respond to situations differently?
Become a man or woman with wonder in your eyes.
“Tell of His glory among the nations,
His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.”
Psalm 96:3