“…unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by non means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3
Before a baby is born, the child has never known hunger or thirst because he or she was connected to a continual life source. Once the baby has been born and separated from their mother, the child will begin to experience need and want. The baby will be hungry, thirsty, tired, wet, cold, and uncomfortable. The mother will nurse the baby, satisfying the hunger of the child, and the two will form a close union. To care for a newborn, the child will require to be fed several times a day, continually depending upon his or her mother in their moment of need. When the baby is fed, the child is satisfied until the next feeding.
In Matthew 18:1-4, Jesus says that we all must come to Him as little children in order to receive salvation and be reconciled to God. The term “little children” comes from the Greek word paidion, and it means a young or nursing child. In the same way that a baby craves to nurse milk from its mother, we are to look to God as our source for what we need, and He will supply that need.
Having a need can be a good thing. It is a motivational force meant to cause us to search for our Creator. When you have a need, God is able to act as your Provider. When your need is impossible for you to meet on your own, God is able to perform a miracle on your behalf. Your need is meant to move you in trusting surrender towards your loving Provider.
In Isaiah 49:15 God says, “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you.” When a mother is nursing, the bond between the two is indescribable. God compares His desire to care for us to the desire a mother has to care for her newborn child.
God is our provider; it’s something that He wants to be. It’s something that He enjoys doing. God is very aware of what we need and what we’re going to need. God wants to be a continual source of provision, like a mother is to her newborn baby. God is available to meet our daily needs with His provision like He has made oxygen available for every breath we breathe. We don’t normally worry where the air is coming from, and we don’t need to worry how God is going to provide. We just need to be submitted to His love and obedient to what He tells us to do.
Application: When you see prices rising, don’t worry about how you will afford what you need in the future. God is well able to rise up to meet any need that you have today, tomorrow, and for the rest of your life.