Childlike Faith

How kind the Lord is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours! The Lord protects those of childlike faith. I was facing death, and he saved me. Psalm 116:5-6 NLT

Children trust in ways adults often forget.

When my children were little, they never worried about whether the mortgage would be paid or if there would be food on the table. They didn't lie awake planning for tomorrow or trying to control the future. They simply trusted that Mom and Dad would take care of them.

Somewhere along the way, that changes.

Life teaches us hard lessons. We experience disappointment, loss, betrayal, and unanswered prayers. We learn that people aren't always dependable, so we slowly become more dependent on ourselves.

We call it growing up.

But Psalm 116 reminds us that the kind of faith God desires isn't grown-up at all.

The Hebrew word translated childlike faith describes someone who is simple, open, and dependent. Not foolish or naïve, but humble enough to know they don't have all the answers.

Notice the order of these verses. Before we're told that God protects those of childlike faith, we're reminded who He is.

He is kind. He is good. He is merciful.

The Hebrew word translated merciful conveys deep compassion and tender care. Childlike faith doesn't begin with trying harder to trust. It begins by remembering the heart of the One we're trusting.

As adults, we often think maturity means becoming more independent. Spiritually, the opposite is often true. The longer we walk with God, the more we realize how desperately we need Him.

The opposite of childlike faith isn't maturity.

It's self-reliance.

Many of us carry burdens God never asked us to carry. We analyze every possibility, prepare for every outcome, and worry about things that may never happen. We grip tightly because we believe everything depends on us.

But children don't trust because they understand everything.

They trust because they know who is holding their hand.

Jesus calls us to that kind of faith. Not a faith that ignores life's hardships, but one that rests confidently in the goodness of our Father.

Childlike faith isn't something we're meant to outgrow.

It's something God patiently grows in us as we learn that He really is kind, good, and merciful.

You are loved!