When Christ said we had to become like little children to inherit the kingdom, I think some of us who have thought of ourselves as adults who “had our acts together and had developed a reasonably good sense of awareness, think that we have achieved some sort of discretion. We even feel proud, sometimes, of what we’ve learned or achieved. But Jesus said, come to Me with a complete sense of trust, a complete innocence so He can fill us with a sense of wonder and awe at Who is is. It’s hard for adults to trust completely. We’re enamored with our sophistication and our ability to reason. We’ve been world-taught to be suspicious when something like grace is just given to us. The world never gives us something, we think, with no strings attached. We’re suspicious because Jesus’ love is just too good to be true. Why, we think, would God be so good to us and expect us to just accept a gift as large and as impressive as the doctrine of salvation, simply for us to spend our lives in the wonder of mercy for us undeserving sinners. But God says, “Come as a child.” A child can accept gifts and look for more, blithely enjoying the riches that others bestow on him or her. We adults always think there’s a catch, an expectation, and are amazed at why a loving God sent His Son to be the truest and best gift we could ever fathom. But then, the God of the universe loves us more than we can fathom, doesn’t He?
Even if you do not have my book, take a moment to journal your “Thank You, Lord Jesus” prayer response. There are response opportunities throughout the book, places where you can reflect and respond to what you’ve just read.
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.
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