Sometimes in our sophistication, we think we have to wear masks. No, thankfully, not COVID ones, but masks to hide our true feelings, our childhood fears we never quite overcame, our insecurities in a world where we’re supposed to “know everything,” or be able to find whatever we need in the latest app or tech aid.
The Bible tells us that in our faith walk, we should come “as a little child.” That means, we need to throw our independent, all-knowing artifice onto the heap of “useless information” and come to God as a humble, seeking child.
One of my joys as a grandparent is seeing my Kaley and Emily learn something new. Their faces show wonder, and they often ask, “Really?” with their inquisitive seeking. God wants us to approach each verse of scripture as if we’re reading it with fresh eyes, for the first time. Perhaps there’s been a life-revealing occurrence which colors this approach to the verse that gives it new meaning. Perhaps it’s that a Godincidence brings new meaning to something we’ve heard before but weren’t yet ready to acknowledge.
Yesterday I read an article I shared with our small group. We often think of prayer as talking to God. This writer of an article, “Our Silence is Praise” says that we need to be quiet and listen to God speaking to us. I’m planning on coming as a child, sitting at the feet of the Lord of the Universe, expecting to “hear” from Him. That’s what children do. I will put away the distractions, focus on silence, and discover what He wants me to hear. I will come, as a little child, waiting for the end of the story, waiting for a word of wisdom, or finally saying, as my grandchildren do when I impart my mortal wisdom, “Really?”
MY PSALM 308 COME AS A CHILD
Almighty God, Sovereign over all,
I dare come into Your Presence,
Confessing that I am unworthy
Through sin’s taint to do so.
You created me, wondrously created me,
And the whole of creation around me.
Yet I have attempted to make this world
Revolve around me in sinful self-centeredness and pride,
And have usurped power only given me by You.
I always knew You existed. I said, “I believe in God.”
I knew in my intellect that You existed, and that,
Perhaps as sure death approached, I might even pray.
As I return to Your scriptures,
And seriously feast on the message,
As I mutter immature prayers and stutter and stammer,
As I go through the motions, I can fool others, even myself,
Yet I know You are seeking me, all of me,
And I want to know You fully,
Abundantly, Transformationally.
I come as a child. Your word says
I am ready only for milk.
But I ask in Your mercy
To feast at Your table,
To walk in Your way,
To become a true follower
And know the power I have only glimpsed
By having a personal relationship.
Do I dare think of something so great
With the God of the Universe?
May I this day have the privilege
Of full adoption into Your kingdom?
May I, in grateful devotion for all You have done for me,
Call You “Abba, Father” as one of Your children?
I long to know You more fully,
To understand Your mercy and love for me
Even as a sinner, one with no merits,
Except that I believe in Your Son, Jesus Christ’s mission:
That He sacrificed His pure life
For my sins and shortcomings. I come to You.
So bless me, now My God
For I thank those who have become a cloud of witnesses,
Those who have shared You with me,
So that I can fully serve You.,
For I long to give You my all,
Heart, mind, strength, and soul and
To live this life, and eternity, for You.
Teach me to follow, help me arise when I stumble,
And grant me the splendor of Your Presence
When I speak, when I act, when I worship, and when I die,
For I want to live for You in thanksgiving for Jesus’ love
For one such as I. In His Name. Amen.
About the Author
