Questions?

“One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so He could lay His hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering Him. But Jesus said, ‘Let the children come to Me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children. And He placed His hands on their heads and blessed them before He left.” (Matthew 19:13-25 NLT)

We can learn a lot about Jesus through what His disciples didn’t want Him to do, or sought to intervene on His behalf to protect Him from something He thought was important. The disciples were concerned that the parents with their children would “bother” Jesus, but in His holy mind what they sought to prevent was actually a vital way to accomplish what He came to do – connect people to Himself!

What Jesus wanted to do for those children is a ministry that we need to allow Him to do for us every day. The Bible says that Jesus placed His hands on the children’s heads. We have no way of knowing how many children the parents brought, but in my mind’s eye I envision Jesus holding these children’s faces in his hands as if holding a precious jewel or treasure of some sort.

As you might cup your child’s face in your hands, He held each one and told them how special they were to Him. He shared how much He loved them, how proud He was of who they were going to become for Him. Then He prayed an unforgettable prayer that their parents never forgot and, I’m quite sure, they didn’t either.

As His eyes met theirs, regardless of their age, they were mesmerized by the beauty of his eyes, the tenderness of His touch, and the soothing nature of His voice. They felt safe and secure knowing He would never hurt them or seek to violate them in any way. He didn’t rush but took His time as He focused 100% of His attention on each one.

As He prayed for them there was a sense in which they felt they were the only child in the world, as if in that moment the world stood still and all else, but His face was erased from view. It was as if He cared ONLY for THEM in those moments, because He DID!

Do you realize that’s how He cares for YOU in THIS moment? Have you ever wondered what Jesus does all day in heaven? While time isn’t an issue in heaven, the Bible assures us that Jesus bears intercession for us – for me and for YOU.

Why have I devoted so much space today in seeking to help us to see how personally the Lord cared for each child on that day in history? Because that’s how personally the Lord cares for YOU today.

Elisabeth Elliot wrote: “Faith does not eliminate questions. But faith knows where to take them.” None of us is perfect or has perfect understanding of everything that happens or why, but if we understand how personally interested the Lord Jesus is in each of our lives, we’d know there’s Someone to whom we could run with whatever question we have.

But my sense is, the answer to our question won’t be nearly as satisfying or beneficial as just resting in His hands and listening to His sinless heart beat with love for us. But how can He do that? How can He give each individual person on earth His undivided attention? The same way He can know the names of every star and planet though there are far more of them than people on earth – because He’s God (see pic above).

It’s impossible for us to grasp the vastness of our God, but know He has no limitations in terms of His expressions of love for us. You don’t need to question it, just bask in it.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊