Devotionals

Childlike Trust

by Susan Barnes 
10/19/17
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"For this is what the Lord says: . . . As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.” Isaiah 66:12-13

Occasionally in the Bible, God uses the image of a mother to show us, his compassionate heart toward his children. It has been a blessing for me to learn more about what it means to be a child of God through having my own children. I wanted to be the kind of mother who always took time to answer her children's questions. Very quickly I made an interesting discovery. Children are big enough to ask questions, long before they are big enough to understand the answers. Sometimes I was disappointed that I couldn't always explain things in ways they could understand, but I noticed that it didn't bother them. They simply trusted me even when they didn’t understand.

I wonder if God has the same problem with me. I'm big enough to ask God questions, especially "why" questions. Why did this happen today? Why do I struggle with these problems? Why do people suffer? But perhaps I'm not big enough to understand his answers. Sometimes it even feels like God is keeping information from me.

If we have child-like trust it’s not necessary to have all our questions answered. During those times when we struggle to understand God's purposes in our lives and he doesn’t provide satisfactory explanations, it’s time to remember we are his children. We can remind ourselves that God is good, he is in charge, and knows what he is doing. We can trust him, just like our children trust us.