As a young boy, I didn’t worry much if my parents could provide for my needs.  I felt confident that if I had a need, most likely they knew about it before I did.  I knew my parents were doing their best to raise me and love me. I tried to obey them the best I could, not always knowing the reason why but because they told me to obey.  Jesus said, “Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 18:3)(Mk. 10:15)(Luke 18:17) As God’s child, we trust Him for salvation and don’t always know the reasons behind all the things He tells us to do, but by faith we obey, knowing it is the right thing to do.  

Jesus used little children as an example of what kind of faith we need if we are to be great in His kingdom.  This is the answer Jesus gave to the disciples when they were arguing over who would be the greatest. (Mk 9:34) The incident came shortly after He cast out a demon from a young man who had been possessed since he was little.  The father of the boy, at his wits’ end, knew that only Jesus could heal his little boy.  Jesus tells him, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” (Mk. 9:23-24) The father cried out to Jesus as a little child, humble and trusting. How often do you ask for help and direction when confronted with a task, in order to do it right the first time?  

This is the faith Jesus wants us to have when we put our trust in Him for eternal life and our physical needs. Jesus said “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matt. 7:11)(Luke 11:13) Our Father knows how to give us the best of His mercies despite our shortcomings, but He still encourages us to ask.  He did not say for us to have faith as an adult or we would constantly question His direction with our own understanding.  The key is obeying through His Holy Spirit in simple faith as a child. Jesus’ theme continues into the next chapter when He explained divorce and spoke to the rich man.  If the children of Israel’s hearts were of a simple, tender faith, Moses would not have given them the option of divorce.  The rich man as well would have received eternal life if he would have, in simple faith, sold his goods and followed Jesus.  We, as the children of the King, should have tender hearts:  willing to obey God with the faith of a child.