Receive the Kingdom of God Like a Child

How do we do this? By faith - the faith of a child.

While growing up in Spain, my family were planning to go to Holland for Christmas. Being a missionary family, funds were often tight, and although I was born in Holland I had never seen it. I was seven at the time and I was thrilled with the idea. One day after school when I was explaining to my mum the grand ideas I had of what we were going to she sighed deeply and said, “You know Andrew I don’t think we’re going to make it to Holland this year”. I remember feeling sad, and yet not phased by her comment. I replied, “Mum we just need to pray and ask God for the money”. I had seen God’s provision plenty of times before, why not now?

Miraculously we had five aeroplane tickets arrive in our letterbox some days later. We had no idea who from, but I do remember mum saying, “Isn’t this incredible?!”
I huffed, “You see I told you, mum, all we had to do was pray”.

I long for that simplicity of faith again. That child-like faith that simply expects God to come through, expects His Kingdom to be manifest on earth and in our lives.
You see the Kingdom of God is simple. I was seven; my faith had not yet become tempered with the cynicism and pessimism that can come from an adult’s ability to rationalise. I knew that God was full of love, that my problems were important to Him, and that He provides. Why wouldn’t He come through this time?

Often we can resort to an “expect the worst, hope for the best” attitude. But should we not rather expect the best God has for us and hope for the Kingdom. The more we simply believe by faith, like a trusting child, that God wants what’s best for us, the more we will begin to live in the freedom that God is in control.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You that You are in control, that Your Kingdom is available to me if I believe simply, like a child, that You care about me and that You are good. Amen.