Faith of a Child
By Jeannine Sawall
“But Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.'”
By Jeannine Sawall
“But Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.'”
Matthew 19:14 (NIV)
My
husband and I are one of those couples where having a baby didn’t come easily.
We lost three babies to miscarriage before the birth of our oldest son. The
doctors thought they had “fixed” the issue and we went on to have our second
son without problems. When we decided it was time for another, we once again
experienced the heartache of miscarriage. This time the doctors suggested it
was the one in four “fluke.” Unfortunately, that was not the case and I went on
to miscarry five times over the next 26 months. I was devastated and
heartbroken.
During this season, we were teaching our young sons the power of prayer. They had received a children’s prayer journal and each night we would write down a prayer request, an answer to prayer or something they were thankful for. My oldest son asked for a new baby each night. This went on for months. After our fifth loss, it became too painful for me to write it, let alone pray it with him; to me, it seemed the heavens had turned to brass. With tears ready to fall, I told him we could stop asking because it didn’t appear we would add another baby to our family; that sometimes God’s answer is “no.” He looked at me, his innocent face full of concern, and said, “That’s okay, Mom. God didn’t tell me ‘no.’ I’ll still pray for a new baby, even if you can’t anymore.” And he did…faithfully.
A few months later, I was pregnant again. I had no joy, thinking I was on my way to another miscarriage. However, that was not the case. Eight and a half months later, we were elated with the healthy arrival of our third son. I was blessed not only by my son’s faith, but also by his smile, as he wrote Matthew’s name in his journal as God’s answer to his prayer!
The path God calls us to is not always easy or quick. Sometimes we are left in a hard place for longer than we like and we must really dig in and hang onto God. The Lord used my six-year-old son and his tireless faith to show me that. Of course, there are absolutely times when God’s answer is “no”; however, until His answer becomes clear, we are called to press on, press in and to have unwavering faith…like that of a child.
GOING DEEPER:
1. What area in your life is God calling you to press on and have faith like a child? He is faithful to see you through whatever circumstance is causing you to doubt.
2. Is there someone or something in your life you have been praying for and have not gotten an answer for? Continue to call out to God, He promises to answer you.
FURTHER READING:
Hebrews 11:6; Luke 18:17; Psalm 71:5-6
During this season, we were teaching our young sons the power of prayer. They had received a children’s prayer journal and each night we would write down a prayer request, an answer to prayer or something they were thankful for. My oldest son asked for a new baby each night. This went on for months. After our fifth loss, it became too painful for me to write it, let alone pray it with him; to me, it seemed the heavens had turned to brass. With tears ready to fall, I told him we could stop asking because it didn’t appear we would add another baby to our family; that sometimes God’s answer is “no.” He looked at me, his innocent face full of concern, and said, “That’s okay, Mom. God didn’t tell me ‘no.’ I’ll still pray for a new baby, even if you can’t anymore.” And he did…faithfully.
A few months later, I was pregnant again. I had no joy, thinking I was on my way to another miscarriage. However, that was not the case. Eight and a half months later, we were elated with the healthy arrival of our third son. I was blessed not only by my son’s faith, but also by his smile, as he wrote Matthew’s name in his journal as God’s answer to his prayer!
The path God calls us to is not always easy or quick. Sometimes we are left in a hard place for longer than we like and we must really dig in and hang onto God. The Lord used my six-year-old son and his tireless faith to show me that. Of course, there are absolutely times when God’s answer is “no”; however, until His answer becomes clear, we are called to press on, press in and to have unwavering faith…like that of a child.
GOING DEEPER:
1. What area in your life is God calling you to press on and have faith like a child? He is faithful to see you through whatever circumstance is causing you to doubt.
2. Is there someone or something in your life you have been praying for and have not gotten an answer for? Continue to call out to God, He promises to answer you.
FURTHER READING:
Hebrews 11:6; Luke 18:17; Psalm 71:5-6
Jeannine is a wife and mother of four great
boys. She works in the property management business. Jeannine serves in several behind-the-scenes
ministries at Oakwood and has a heart for those who are grieving.
