Isaiah 11:1-6 Selected (NKJV)
11 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.3 His delight is in the fear of the Lord, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; 4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor,……6 “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them.
Have you ever noticed that true and pure wisdom can come out of the mouth of a little child? When they suggest something, it is not polluted with their baggage or agenda. It is just an idea based on the facts presented at the time. They don’t worry about what people will think. Some of the best ideas I have ever heard have come from a child. Do you listen to children? Will you heed their voice?
Isaiah is telling us about special children that will come from the line of Jesse. As is very often the case, the Bible is speaking outside of time because God is outside of time. He speaks of past, present and future all at the same time. This passage speaks of two children that I know of: King David and Jesus. In David’s case, a young shepherd boy is chosen to be the next king of Israel. God would call David a man after His own heart. But the most important child would be Jesus, the descendant of David, the Eternal King and our Messiah. Both young people became renowned leaders.
A little child came to live with us on Friday! He is filled with childlike wonder and ideas. He speaks what is on his mind and it is pure and true. His conversation is not guarded and lined up with his personal agenda. He says what is on his mind. He asks for what he wants. Jesus said “you have not because you ask not.” Adults don’t ask because they are afraid of rejection. Kids will ask repeatedly until they get that for which they have asked! Our adult baggage can cause anxiety around an issue. We have ego and pride that we bring along to any discussion. Children just approach the situation with positive expectancy. They just ask with that cute little smile melting your heart and defenses all at the same time. I want to go with you. Stay here with me! Can I be baptized? Will you adopt me? Can I call you daddy? (Melt, melt, melted!) Children are closer to God because they have not yet built up pride, ego and defenses.
Do you answer or dismiss a child’s question? When a child asks a simple question, it may not appear that simple to us adults. We go right to all the reasons why not. We think about permissions we will need. We think about the down side. But do we consider the up side? Instead of asking why; ask why not? From adults, it is easier to get forgiveness than permission. Have you taken time to consider the upside? If they go somewhere with you, you can have conversation. If you stay with them, you can make memories. If they ask to call you daddy, try not to cry! I have come to a place in my life where I have intentionally decided that I want to say yes. I pause to think (of the down side) and try to reason how and why I can say yes. Is there a compelling reason we should not move forward? Why not? If I say no, what opportunities will we miss? Do I want to build the relationship?
Another area in which a child can make an awesome difference is with teenagers. When you child becomes a teenager, they want to become independent so they no longer listen to you. Having a young child in the house who asks them questions leads them to truths they will not accept from you. It seems that the older we get, the less we want to listen. I have a challenge hearing out our teenager. I need to learn to be a better listener. Pray that we all can listen better and take our time to respond. And let a little child lead us all.
Father, thank You for the children of all ages you put in our lives. Help us to see the wisdom of the Spirit that you planted in everyone. Give us back our childlike wonder that we may see You through new eyes. Thank you for sending little children to lead us. In Your name we pray! Amen!