Follow the Little Children

Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.  Psalm 8:2

A while ago I came upon this verse while contemplating the importance of praise and worship.  The praises of children silence the enemy. There is power in praising God as a little child.  I believe that is why Jesus stated that you cannot enter the kingdom of God unless you do so as a little child.  This is a very strong statement.

Mark 10:15-16 records Jesus as saying "Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.

There are many things which prevent us from entering the kingdom of heaven; drunkenness, fornication, etc.  It appears from the above text that not receiving the kingdom as a child is right up there with the others.  

This may seem a bit harsh,  however, when Jesus was asked to define the kingdom,  He replied that the kingdom of God is within  you.  It occurs to me that there may be a distinction between eternal salvation and entering the kingdom.  If the kingdom of God is indeed intended to be within us, and we are to receive it as children, then the "praise of children and infants" becomes a critical key to unlocking the door to the kingdom.

We all know that God inhabits the praises of His people and that the devil must flee when we do so.  Notice in verse 16 in Mark 10 how, after being approached by the children, Jesus put His hands on them and blessed them.  The BLESSING.  Peace, joy, contentment, and the renewing of the mind....all things found within us, may be, at least in part, the kingdom within us that Jesus was speaking of.  After all, when we sin, we do not have peace, joy or contentment, and our minds become dulled by carnal things.  

Similarly, if we indeed need to approach Jesus as little children and praise Him as they do, then perhaps that is what is lacking in the church today.  We are all saved, those of us who have received Jesus, but....why do so many Christians lack this sometimes seemingly elusive peace and joy?  Why is the divorce and teenage pregnancy rate as high or higher among Christians as it is in the world?  Why does depression run rampant among pastors?  I read a statistic that said as many as 80 percent of pastors suffer from depression.

I believe the answer is that the modern church as lost the ability to effectively praise and worship God.  We do not praise Him with the simple exuberance of little children.  

Have you ever watched a child at play?  He is spontaneous and totally engaged in his in his activity, caring little about the world around him. Similarly, children running under a sprinkler are not concerned that they might get wet or dirty.  They live in the moment, engaged in the activity and connected to their emotions. 

When is the last time that you saw folks in church praising God with the total abandon and exuberance of children?  Truly I believe that this kind of worship should become commonplace, indeed,  every time believers meet together.  It certainly is not a sin if we don't, however, we miss out on some  serious blessings.  

"and He (Jesus) placed His hands on them and blessed them."

Praise God with the exuberance  of  a little child and watch heaven open up.