The Power of a Child


FOR TO US A CHILD IS BORN, TO US A SON IS GIVEN....ISAIAH 9:6

CHILD - YELED (ילד)(HEBREW) - PAIS (GREEK)

The more I reflect on the birth of Jesus I become amazed at how a small, delicate child came to change the course of humanity. The other day Josh and I watched an interesting movie called Children of Men set in the future, 2027. For some unknown reason the world was no longer fertile, unable to conceive children, and was vanishing. It was ravished by war and turmoil as people struggled to survive. In the midst of the chaos a miracle occurred and a woman became pregnant. The world had not heard the cries of a tiny baby for over 18 years. There was a scene were heavy fighting broke out between two extremist groups. The moment the baby came into sight and its cries were heard the fighting came to a halt and an unbearable sense of hope filled the hearts of these warring men and women. And then earlier this week in my devotional “Immanuel: A Daily Guide to Reclaiming Christmas” I was reminded that “ a child was always at the heart of the biblical covenant. In the garden of Eden God promised that Eve’s offspring would crush the head of the serpent. We also know God promised Abraham and Sarah that their child would be the father of many descendants. In Isaiah we are told that God promises us a child that would be born of a virgin and would reign forever with his justice and righteousness. Then in the New Testament we see the fulfillment of this promise through the birth of Jesus. It doesn’t end here as we see Jesus uphold the little children as examples for us to follow. 
Children are key and provide a great model for us. They are so innocent and so delicate yet they have the power to influence and bring change. There is wisdom and truth in Jesus’ words, words that are often overlooked, when he tells us “unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven . Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest  in the kingdom in heaven.” (Mathew 18:3-4)
This has never meant to me more than it has today. I think about my sweet little John Mark who is not even here yet. I believe his situation has lead many people to pray and draw closer to God. John Mark is not perfect if we focus in on his hydrocephalus. Yet God is perfectly using him to fulfill a perfect purpose. His story and our testimony, is bringing glory to a good  and loving God. God is using our little child who is so delicate, so fragile and so humble. It seems like these past couple of weeks leading up to Christmas I have come across story after story of how a child has brought many to their knees and closer to the Lord. It just makes this Christmas season so much more meaningful as we celebrate the birth of baby Jesus. A baby who had the weight of the world on His shoulders. He came so humbly to conquer our hearts and restore our relationship with our Heavenly Father. 

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