Childlike Faith

Andrew Murray is my favorite author. He was from South Africa and died in 1917, yet his words are timeless. “God first instills in us a childlike faith in him as God Almighty, the Faithful One, Jehovah God.” That one phrase seemed to stick in my mind all day. “A childlike faith.”

A childlike faith is what a kid has when his mom says, “We’re going to Disney World.” The child does not worry about how much money it will cost, if his parents can afford it, if they are emptying their savings to take the trip, if dad will lose his job a month later, if the car will make it, if it’s even been serviced lately, if the tires are worn, if it’s leaking oil, where they will stay, if rooms will be available, if the weather will cooperate, if it’s hurricane season, if four million people will show up at Disney World the day they arrive and they won’t be able to get in.

Nope, he tells his buddies that they are going to Disney World. Done deal. He leaves the details to mom. He doesn’t stay up nights wondering if she’s working them out. He dreams of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. He moves on, packing his suitcase and telling his friends and anyone else who will stop and listen, where he’ll be spending his vacation.

He does not beg her every morning, “Please, please, please let’s go to Disney World!!!” Why? She said they are going. The concrete has already set on that driveway. He’s moved on to getting his stuff ready for the trip.

The object of his faith inspires confident assurance that what she says, will happen. He can take it to the bank.

Now, we all know that some kids have moms who should not inspire this confidence. Suppose his mom is on drugs and has never been truthful in her life. “I’ll be back, baby. That old social worker isn’t going to put you in a foster home…not my baby. I’m going to take you with me.” And over and over again, he’s placed in a foster home and she never takes him with her. But for a time, initially, his childlike faith endures. He’s sitting on the edge of the sofa, waiting, because she said….

So what is the object of our faith? Should He inspire confidence? The object is God Almighty, the One and only God, creator of the universe and creator of our faith; the Faithful One, the one who chose you and called you and is in the process of growing you to be more like himself, faithful to his covenant with you even when you are faithless; Jehovah, your Redeemer, the one who brought you out of the kingdom of darkness and placed you into the kingdom of light. He said it. He will bring it to pass.

Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Be anxious for nothing but in everything with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

That’s a promise. Yet people stop there when the next verse is critical …it gives a list of things for your mind to dwell after the “amen”….the first of which is whatever is true. And sometimes what is true is that your breast cancer is not going into remission, your husband’s company is closing and you have twins on the way, your kid did not get into the college he’s been dreaming of for the last 3 years.

But what do we dwell on since we cannot effect change in any of those situations. We dwell instead, on the object of our faith and sit quietly and meditate on God Almighty, the Faithful One, Jehovah God. In time we are drawn to our knees. “What is also true, God, and what I choose to dwell on, is that You are God Almighty, the Faithful One, Jehovah God and I can only kneel in your presence because you are holy and I am not. You are so worthy of my praise and my trust. May I, in every circumstance of life, “Lift up my eyes and look at the heavens” and know that You “ created these… He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls them by name.”

In childlike faith, allow Him to work out all the details. He is my Father; he calls me by name. He leads, I follow.