Today I was reminded of the simplicity of faith — child-like faith.
Years ago, I was at home and very sick with the flu. My children were young at the time. Brandon was 8; Reid was 5; and Keith was 2. I was in the bathroom, feeling as though I was puking my brains out. All of the boys came in to try and help me. Brandon rubbed my back and held my hair back. Reid grabbed a wet wash cloth for me and stood by waiting to help. Keith stood at the side of me and laid his hand on my shoulder and said, “Jesus, Jesus.” At that moment, I stopped throwing up. I went back out to the living room and laid on the couch. Still pretty out of it, I heard the Lord say, “You would still be throwing up if it weren’t for your son.” I laid there recalling what Keith had spoken – two simple words, “Jesus, Jesus.” Yet these are two of the most powerful words that you can speak!
Keith didn’t have his Masters in Divinity, what he had was his faith at 2 ½ years old that said that if he prayed, I would be healed. It was that simple. You see, Keith saw Curtis and I pray, and he saw God answer. He did what his parents did, and look at the result. The Bible says that we are to do what our parent – our Heavenly Father does.
John 5:19 (NKJV) 19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.
Jesus did what He saw His Father do and He spoke what He heard His Father say. I think the key here is “listening” for the Father’s heart when we pray. I think that sometimes we just rush into praying out of a routine instead of simply listening for His voice, His direction, His Word. The Lord taught me through my 2 ½ year old, that simple is powerful! The mighty name of Jesus spoken twice was more powerful than a five-minute religious dialogue. I have tried to learn through his example to wait and just listen for my Father’s heart.
You hear in many industries the phrase, “Go big or go home.” Actually, I think it’s the opposite. I think “less is more.” When we decrease, the Holy Spirit can increase. He can do a greater work with less than I can do with more. So let us, as followers of Christ, follow Jesus’ example to listen to the Father’s heart – His voice. Let us be a conduit for the Holy Spirit to move through our prayers. I believe God is ready to move mountains on our behalf; heaven is just waiting to hear our voice.