Faith Like A Child

Remember back when you were a child? When everything seemed so simple? Rainbows had pots of gold at their end and the blue sky was blue because that’s how God painted it? Life seemed simple then. Anything seemed plausible and it took little faith to believe it. We could ask our dads a technical question and upon getting an absurd response — run with it.

I heard one child say, “Whenever I see sunlight streaming through the clouds, I think it means that God is speaking to someone.” This stopped me short. My immediate response is, “No — it just has to do with the sun hitting the particles in the clouds and refracting.” But then I stop and wonder. Why can’t it mean more?

Imagine being outside on a mild day. It’s partly cloudy and the sun is shining in the better half of the sky. A cloud moves in front. It’s a kodak moment to be sure. I’ve always liked looking at imagery from nature and relating it to faith. God has created it all and reveals Himself through all. If we ever seize to praise Him — the inanimate rocks will pick up the slack.

I picture in my mind many different images of God. Not only is He holy and supreme but He is also my (heavenly) Father. The clouds move past the sun — they shield us from the blinding radiance of the One who created all. And He speaks to us!

There is no question about it — God is supremely holy. He is perfect. Before coming to knowledge of Him my sins made me pitch black and a doomed vessel before Him. Even now, having been saved by His grace, washed clean by His blood my flesh still could not withstand His full glory. When Jesus took Peter, James and John onto the mountain, God enveloped himself in a cloud. Just as a taste is enough to change my life forever, the full glory of God would burn me to the core.

But then He talks! Streams of sunlight coming through the clouds — the voice (and glory) of God to His people. It’s not so unreasonable to think as such. God spoke to the disciples and His son on that mountainside and He speaks to us today if we choose and want to listen.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the things of this world. It’s so easy to get caught up in the technicalities, the sciences and the reasonings. It’s nice to step back and have the trusting faith of a child that God really does talk to His people. I know that the next time I see streams of sunlight filtering through the clouds the question on my heart will be, “What is God trying to say?”

This is one of the first pieces I wrote for the internet at least 6 years ago...