Matthew 18:3 – Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
I was told a story once of a conversation between my son, aged 7, and granddaughter, aged 3. They were apparently looking through a catalogue of Lego blocks and deciding what they wanted to get for Christmas. Colette, my step-daughter said to them, "Hey, why don't you get it for your birthdays rather, because it's sooner than Christmas?" John apparently turned to her and said, "No, you see, if I get it for my birthday you have to buy it for me, but if I get it for Christmas, Santa gives it to me for free."
When I heard this story I laughed and realized that I'm going to have to burst his bubble soon and reveal the truth about Santa to him. But the whole story made me think about how innocent and accepting kids are. They hear something from someone and that's it. That's the way it stands, and they don't question it (usually) unless they are very analytical. I was thinking the other day, if we could have this same type of attitude to faith matters, we would have so much better and quicker answers to our requests. The Lord said we must become 'as little children', not childish, but childlike and accepting of what it says in the word.
Think about it for a moment. If you're anything like me (and I think almost all Christians are), your mind gets in the way of the promises. I've often quoted my favorite Scriptures like, "And all things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing you will receive." Then I say, "Thank you Lord for this promise. Lord, I need a computer. By faith I reach out and receive it now. Thank you for it. I believe I have it." Then my mind starts playing tricks on me. "How on earth is this going to manifest? We've got debts to pay, this needs fixing, I don't know anyone who could give us one …" and on it goes. Has this ever happened to you?
Hey, who cares how the Lord is going to bring it about? When we say to my son that we'll get him a toy he's been wanting he doesn't sit and try to figure out if we'll have the money to do it. He just accepts it and gets excited about receiving it. Let's be the same. Let's be childlike, accepting what the word says and kicking our minds out the door. "Whatever you ask in prayer, believing you will receive." Ask for what you desire, believe the Lord has given it to you, then eagerly wait for it's manifestation. Remember, it's the Lord's business how He gets it to you. All you need to do is trust Him to do it. Don't let your analytical mind get in the way!
