You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you. Psalm 8:2
It was the cries of the infant Moses floating in a reed basket that won Pharaoh’s daughter’s heart. She didn’t realise this helpless baby would indeed silence the might of Egypt. Similarly, Jesus was dismissed with Nathaniel’s declaration, ‘Can anything good come from Nazareth?’(John 1:46, NLT). Then he became Jesus’ disciple. Never judge a book by its cover.
We too often disqualify ourselves from God’s love as we assume our history and habits invalidate our discipleship. But God’s never disillusioned with us for God never had any illusions in the first place. I can’t prove my value to God. There is no pass mark to enter the Kingdom.
Children are far less self-conscious than the adults they become. They believe they can move mountains. For this reason, Jesus told us all to change and become children to enter God’s Kingdom. Change is essential; a change of the lens through which I observe myself and my life.
Infants and children have little difficulty relying on those who care for them. A baby will wake you for food any time of the day and night with no sense of embarrassment. It has no concept of the inner voices yet to emerge in adolescence. How often have I held back, altered course, allowed an opportunity to elude me due to those incessant inner voices?
Such voices are our greatest enemy. They restrict our capacity to pursue God. They domesticate our faith and we run the risk of reducing all Christian experience to mastering some assumed rules that we pray may define the quality of faith. A cry like that of Moses will capture peoples’ attention; it may position us to silence God’s critics, those within and without.
Something to Consider: What are the voices that have encircled your life and domesticated your faith?
An Action to Take: Silence these inner voices by crying out to God and finding new confidence in God’s living Word, the Bible.
A Prayer to Make: ‘Lord, help me to silence my inner critics. Enable me to find my voice, my true vocation.’
Photo by Chris Lawton on Unsplash
Used with Permission
