Monday, June 22, 2020

Growing in Childlke Faith

By: Joanne Viola


Today we are going to look at the twelfth psalm of ascents, Psalm 131. Here we find a simple and beautiful call to childlike faith in God.
“The more a believer matures spiritually, the more childlike his faith will become. Growing to trust God involves assuming many of the qualities of a young child who looks to his parents with an unquestioning acceptance and unwavering reliance.”
(from The Holman Old Testament Commentary, Vol. 12, page 300)
How can we develop and grow in childlike faith?
  • Humility. “Lord, my heart is not proud, my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp” (verse 1, NLT). David does not think more highly of himself than he should but rather recognizes there are some matters which need to be left solely for God.
  • Quiet. “Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me” (verse 2, NLT). Our faith grows as we wait quietly for God to bring the answers and solutions to life’s problems. As a child becomes calm and quiet in the arms of its mother, we are to quiet our souls before God.
  • Hope. “O Israel, put your hope in the Lord – now and always” (verse 3, NLT). Trust always has a shred of hope. We remember God is always working things out for our good and all He does is good.
Faith must be nurtured in the soil of trust. God is worthy of our trust as He has always been faithful to His people, and He always shall be!

Photo by Artur Aldyrkhanov on Unsplash 



6 comments:

  1. This is really good, JoAnne! I was just talking to one of my really good friends and we were discussing this very topic and just reflecting upon the the beauty of having childlike faith and how important it is in our walk with God. Thanks so much for sharing this! Hugs and blessings to you! :-)

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    1. All we need to do is hang with a little one for a bit to realize anew the beauty in childlike faith. I appreciate you sharing, Tai. May God help us both to grow in this manner. Blessings!

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  2. I can always feel myself depressurize when I give up trying to be The Grand Problem Solver. You say it so beautifully: "As a child becomes calm and quiet in the arms of its mother, we are to quiet our souls before God." - I love how my soul feels when I do that! Shalom, Joanne! ~ Maryleigh

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  3. Maryleigh, I love the use of the word - "depressurize". Perfectly describes the way it feels to release all things to the Lord. Blessings!

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