May 13 2025

Tuesday May 13

Luke 18:15-17 – Pray Like a Child

15 Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to Him and said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 17 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."

In Luke chapter 18, Jesus begins this chapter talking about prayer, teaching about prayer. He's preparing His disciples for the time when they will have the responsibility 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 how to pray. You'll see in the first chapters of Acts how the disciples must have listened to that lesson and learned it.

Here in Luke 18, Jesus tells us first that we're to be praying always without ceasing, to pray and not to faint. He tells the parable about the widow who didn't have anything, and how she goes to the unjust judge and begs, cries, and screams for help to avenge her of her adversary. He won't listen, but finally she wears him down, and he says, "I'm tired of this woman doing this, and I'll finally avenge her." But God says, "Listen, I'm not like that unjust judge, and you're not really like that widow either. I'm your heavenly father who cares for you. You can come running to me, and I'm ready to avenge my own that cry unto me day and night."

Then he goes to the story of the Pharisee who comes to the temple to pray with a proud, arrogant, self-righteous heart. He's better than everybody else, he prays to be seen by men. The Lord is teaching us not to pray like that. Then he finishes this story by telling about the publican, the tax collector, who gets on his face before God, beats his breast, and cries out, "Oh God, be merciful to me, a sinner."

I'll never forget the time a man came to my office and told me his wife had left him. He had two little children. He told me that he couldn't read or write, but he 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 know what to pray." I said, "Just call out to God." We bowed our heads, and I'll never forget as it got silent for a moment, then all of a sudden this man with tears cried out, "Oh God, help me." I thought maybe for the first time in my life I really heard someone pray. By the next Sunday, I saw him at church, and something had happened. He came in with this woman by his side, introduced me his wife, and said, "It didn't take God 24 hours to answer that prayer." He wasn't even saved when he came to my office, but before he left he trusted Christ. What a miracle! God answers the prayers of humble people.

Now in verses 15-17, Luke tells us, “Then they also brought infants to him that he might touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. Jesus called them to him and said, "Let the little children come to me and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." Jesus is now teaching us that we should pray like a child. A child has faith. I am blessed with 18 grandchildren and one great-grandson, His name is Keanu, almost 8 months old, and Edith and I have the responsibility and delight to babysit him every day. I can tell you he has faith in us to hold him, take care of him, and meet his needs. I can see his faith in his eyes, as he trust us to hold him, feed him, watch out for him. Children are totally dependent. You're not only dependent as a child, you have faith to believe you're going to be taken care of every day with what you need to sustain you.

It was customary for the Jews to bring little children to the rabbis to receive their special blessing, so it is strange that the disciples would stand in the way. Perhaps they thought Jesus was weary and needed rest, or they may have decided 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 her daughter (Matt. 15:21), but Jesus answered her prayer. The Twelve did not yet have the compassion of their Master, but it would come in due time.

Jesus wants us to be childlike but not childish. An unspoiled child illustrates humility, faith, and dependence. A child has a sense of wonder that makes life exciting. The only way to enter God's kingdom is to become like a child and be born again (John 3). If the proud Pharisee had become like a child, he too would have gone home justified.

My friend, we need to learn to pray to our Heavenly Father with the humility, faith, and dependence of a child!

God bless!