ANNOUNCEMENT ••• Join the private, online prayer group on Facebook! You’re welcome to post prayer requests every week, and on Sunday evenings, we’ll have a prayer, including prayer for a specific weekly topic.
TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (Deuteronomy 6:5 ESV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• I love little bitty babies. They are so sweet! Hand me a newborn, and I’ll hold him/her for hours.
Yesterday at church, a couple sat in front of us with their baby. When he was dedicated a couple of weeks ago, I think they said he was born in January. So he’s still tiny. The baby was a little fussy, and his mother laid him on her lap to feed him a bottle. I could see his face as he ate. His eyes were locked on her. The expression he wore was a mix of adoration and utter dependence.
We can learn a lot from a baby—adoration, dependence, trust, and wonder.
ADORATION. When is the last time you looked on your Savior with complete adoration and love? In Mary’s (the mother of Jesus—there are a lot of Mary’s in the Gospels) song of praise, she said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Luke 1:46b-47). Her words reflect the words of Moses from Deuteronomy 6:5, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” By loving God with all our heart, soul, and strength, we rejoice in who He is. We stand in adoration of His greatness and majesty.
DEPENDENCE. We are nothing without Jesus. In 1 Chronicles 16:11, David’s song of thanks said, “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” We do that when we realize the truth of Jesus’ words, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). We are utterly dependent on Him. We might be able to fake self-sufficiency for a time, but we all need—desperately need—Jesus.
TRUST. In the song of Judah, it says, “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock” (Isaiah 26:4). Just as a baby trusts in his parents to provide for him, so can we trust the truth of Philippians 4:19, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
WONDER. In the Song of Moses, it says, “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” (Exodus 15:11). For a baby, everything around them is something of wonder. And God, as the Creator of everything, deserves our sense of wonder. We can’t take for granted the wonder of who He is and what He’s done (doing). As it says in Hebrews 12:28, “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.”
Today, as you pray, thank God for lessons learned from even the youngest among us. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill your heart with adoration, dependence, trust, and wonder for who God is and all He’s done for you.
SHARING ••• Please feel free to comment or share this blog with others. Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. Also, download a free Bible-In-A-Year Reading Plan when you subscribe! ***Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture references are from the ESV translation.
