Years ago I heard a story about a farming community that was desperate for rain. The community in their desperation called for a city wide prayer meeting to pray and as God to send the much needed rain. It was agreed this prayer meeting would take place the coming Saturday at twelve noon in the town square. That Saturday people began gathering in the square, and before long the square was filled to capacity. The prayer meeting was about to start, and there was not a cloud to be seen in any direction. About that time a little girl showed up with an umbrella in her hand to which a farmer chuckled and said, “Why did you bring that umbrella?” To which the little girl replied, “I thought we were going to pray for rain.” Oh the faith of a little child.

      Let me share another story with you. One summer during my college years I served as a summer missionary in Tennessee. A pastor’s wife shared with me about her little boy that had been very sick. The doctors were confused as to the cause of the little guy’s high fever with no success in bringing it down. She told me how frightened she was because if the condition didn’t change, it would become life threatening. She said one night she took the little guy in her arms and was rocking him and with a cool wash cloth was desperately trying to bring the fever down. Then this small child looked at his mother and said, “Mommy, if you ask Jesus, he will heal me.” The mother said with emotion, “I just looked into the eyes of my small boy and prayed Jesus please heal my little boy.” She then, with excitement, told me how at that very moment she could literally feel her son cooling. She said it was so amazing …she had not experienced anything like it in her life… Oh the faith of a little child.

      There is much to be said about a child like faith. Jesus 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”. Matthew 18:3-4 ESV

       So what is a child like faith? Is it a name it and claim it mentality? I don’t think so. Is it having a carefree attitude not worrying about a thing? No, I do not believe it to be this either. I believe child like faith is the faith that pleases God. Faith that will go beyond reason to simply trust in the words of Jesus. It is faith that trusts in God even when He may not make sense.

      It is not based on logic, reasoning or understanding…it simply believes that He exists. Child like faith is action, not just talk. It is bringing an umbrella to a prayer meeting when praying for rain.  But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. James 2:18 ESV. The question was asked of Jesus, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent,” John 6:28-29 ESV.   Action always speaks louder than words… What you believe will determine how you live. When a person says, “I’m a christian” people will look for the evidence proving the truth of this statement in their life. One evidence of this truth in a person’s life is the strong desire to live for God and to be near Him. Submit yourself therefore unto God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. James 4:7-8 ESV. The end result for this type of life is reward. Not that we live for reward, but it is promised to those who seek him. What is the reward? I believe the greatest reward is the privilege to be called a child of God. See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called the children of God; and so we are. 1 John 3:1 ESV. So let us live like little children…pleasing God with a child like faith…drawing near to him…believing and living purposely so…knowing the greatest reward is that we can call him Father.

 Becase of His Grace ~ Pastor David