God Speaking

“Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?”

(Matthew 6: 25)

I must admit I am an incessant worrier. One of my daughters told me recently if I am not worrying, I worry what I should be worrying about. I am not proud of that at all and have tried over and again to curb this bad habit of mine and to trust in the Lord that he has everything under control.  Last week, I was holding my youngest granddaughter (only 14 months old), in my arms as she slept in my lap, and as I looked at her trusting little face I remembered a beautiful verse in the Psalms that likened us as safe as a little child being held in the arms of our Heavenly Father.

“But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.” (Psalm 131: 2)

Small children totally trust the adult to hold them safely in his or her arms and as I held my little darling, I made a promise to myself to remember this moment and when that wretched worry starts to consume me to think of myself being a child being firmly held in the powerful arms of the Heavenly Father and knowing that he will deal with anything that is worrying me. I can hand it over to him.

Jesus himself tells us to become like children and he demonstrates this by calling a little child to him and saying; 

“And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18: 3 – 4)

Jesus was speaking to his disciples who were being caught up in the world’s thinking and worrying as who was going to be the greatest in heaven, when the little child was content to be just called to stand beside Jesus.

I started to explore this beautiful thought of staying childlike in our relationship with the Lord, when the world is busy shouting, grow up, and act like an adult. God spoke through the prophet, Isaiah, to ensure the children of Israel that they could relax as they would be comforted like a mother comforts a child so there was no need to worry about whatever was happening around them.

“As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 66: 13)

We sing a beautiful song in our worship time in our church and the final line in every stanza ends with;

I am a child of God

I am going to put my trust in that amazing truth!