Whoever continually humbles himself to become like this gentle child is the greatest one in heaven’s kingdom realm. Matthew 18:3 (TPT)
Kingdom Realm – Prayer and Mystery Series – Part 3
Go to PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5 | PART 6 | PART 7
There’s a story in a couple of the Gospel books about how Jesus had his disciples take him across a lake, in a boat.
While they were sailing across the water, a storm overtook them and rained down hard upon them. So much so that the disciples thought that they would perish in its grip. All the while, Jesus was sleeping through the whole thing!
The disciples shook Jesus awake and begged him to save them. Which he did. He spoke to the storm, and the wind and the waves submitted themselves to peace and calm. After everything had settled, Jesus turned to his friends and said:
“Why are you so afraid? Haven’t you learned to trust yet?” (Mark 4:40 TPT).
Other Bible translations say, “Do you still have no faith?” (NLT).
That response fits so well (at least in my mind), with God’s response to Moses when he asked, “Who shall I say sent me?” God replied:
“I am who I am.”
Haven’t you learned to trust, yet?
Faith and trust.
There’s a certain amount of “letting go” involved in faith. I know Hebrews 11:1 says that “faith is the evidence of things unseen,” but can’t you see the irony in that? I think the writer of Hebrews would have written that line with a cheeky smile: faith and evidence.
I think that the evidence of faith is our willingness to sit with ambiguity, to pursue truth rather than attain it, and to hold the tension of knowing and “unknowing” with both hands. To do this, you have to let go of, not only the idea but also the stance of being “right,” and embrace our humanity and humility.
Sometimes, we have to say no to the noise (words, clutter, knowing), and yes to silence (prayer, unknowing, trust).
Trust is hard. Since we were kids, our trust has been tested and often broken. We’ve learned to hedge our bets, ensure our belongings, and secure our positions. Trust gets harder and harder. In turn, ambiguity gets harder, too.
We internalize pain, and we outwork our frustration and disappointment in unhealthy and destructive ways. And silence? Well, that's the last thing we want.
In Matthew 18:3, Jesus said: “Learn this well: Unless you dramatically change your way of thinking and become teachable, and learn about heaven’s kingdom realm with the wide-eyed wonder of a child, you will never be able to enter in. Whoever continually humbles himself to become like this gentle child is the greatest one in heaven’s kingdom realm.”
Kids are insatiably curious creatures. They ask endless questions, explore the nitty and gritty, and instead of getting embarrassed or regretful at what they find or hear or learn, they usually just laugh and laugh and laugh.
And then ask more questions…
My children trust me. Even though I stuff up constantly – like forgetting to meet them at the bus stop and lying to them about the veggies in their dinner (OK, that MIGHT be a complete abuse of their trust… haha!) – they trust that I love them. And that sense of “being held” in my love, gives their curiosity freedom.
They boldly ask questions. They understand that learning is not something to be ashamed of, but is something to engage in, celebrate and embrace. They know that my love for them isn't based on what they know or how much they know.
Curiosity is fortified by trust. A holy curiosity, a divine vocation of learning, is empowered by faith.
A faith that says, “there is more going on here than I currently know.”
And perhaps, more than I can ever know.
Tell us how you go with trust? Especially as you get older… Leave us your comments below.
Go to Part 4 – What We Know »
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