Luke 18:15-17 - Pray Like a Child

InLuke chapter 18, Jesus begins this chapter talking about prayer, teaching aboutprayer. He's preparing His disciples for the time when they will have theresponsibility and the command to take the gospel to the far ends of the earth,and he knows a major part of accomplishing this great task will be knowing howto pray. You'll see in the first chapters of Acts how the disciples must havelistened to that lesson and learned it.  Herein Luke 18, Jesus tells us first that we're to be praying always withoutceasing, to pray and not to faint. He tells the parable about the widow whodidn't have anything, and how she goes to the unjust judge and begs, cries, andscreams for help to avenge her of her adversary. He won't listen, but finallyshe wears him down, and he says, "I'm tired of this woman doing this, andI'll finally avenge her." But God says, "Listen, I'm not like thatunjust judge, and you're not really like that widow either. I'm your heavenlyfather who cares for you. You can come running to me, and I'm ready to avengemy own that cry unto me day and night." Thenhe goes to the story of the Pharisee who comes to the temple to pray with aproud, arrogant, self-righteous heart. He's better than everybody else, he praysto be seen by men. The Lord is teaching us not to pray like that. Then hefinishes this story by telling about the publican, the tax collector, who getson his face before God, beats his breast, and cries out, "Oh God, bemerciful to me, a sinner."  I'llnever forget the time a man came to my office and told me his wife had lefthim. He had two little children. He told me that he couldn't read or write, buthe had a good job, but now he was at the end of his rope. I said, "Well,you need to pray." He said, "I've never prayed before. I don't knowwhat to pray." I said, "Just call out to God." We bowed ourheads, and I'll never forget as it got silent for a moment, then all of asudden this man with tears cried out, "Oh God, help me." I thoughtmaybe for the first time in my life I really heard someone pray. By the nextSunday, I saw him at church, and something had happened. He came in with thiswoman by his side, introduced me his wife, and said, "It didn't take God24 hours to answer that prayer."  Jesus is now teaching us that we should pray like a child.A child has faith. We have a great grandson, his name is Keanu, almost 8 months old, and Edith and I have the responsibility anddelight to babysit him every day. I can tell you he has faith in us to holdhim, take care of him, and meet his needs. I can see his faith in his eyes, ashe trust us to hold him, feed him, watch out for him. Children are totallydependent. You're not only dependent as a child, you have faith to believeyou're going to be taken care of every day with what you need to sustain you.  Itwas customary for the Jews to bring little children to the rabbis to receivetheir special blessing, so it is strange that the disciples would stand in theway. Perhaps they thought Jesus was weary and needed rest, or they may havedecided that He was not really interested in children. How wrong they were! However,this was not the first time the disciples had attempted to get rid of people.They wanted to send the crowd away hungry, but Jesus fed them (Matt. 14:15);and they tried to stop the Canaanite woman from asking Jesus to heal herdaughter (Matt. 15:21), but Jesus answered her prayer. The Twelve did not yethave the compassion of their Master, but it would come in due time. Jesuswants us to be childlike but not childish. An unspoiled child illustrateshumility, faith, and dependence. A child has a sense of wonder that makes lifeexciting. The only way to enter God's kingdom is to become like a child and beborn again (John 3). If the proud Pharisee had become like a child, he toowould have gone home justified.Myfriend, we need to learn to pray to our Heavenly Father with the humility, faith,and dependence of a child!!