God Can Speak Through An Infant

Out of the mouth of infants you have ordained strength, in order to stop anyone who opposes you. Psalm 8: 2

Sometimes small children blurt out something which communicates God’s heart in a way that an adult cannot. The reason is that children pick up the spirit of a person or a place more quickly than do adults, who have protected themselves with layers of sophistication. It was an infant having a Spirit-led tantrum who caused the boy Cuthbert to think again about his life.

For the first eight years of his life Cuthbert had a mind for nothing except games, pranks, and careering around. He used to boast that he had beaten all those of his own age, as well as many older boys, at wrestling, jumping, running and many other exercises. When the others were tired out he would look around in triumph as though he was ready to start afresh.

One day a great crowd of children were playing together in a field, twisting around in all sorts of contortions. Suddenly a three year old rushed up to Cuthbert and began to scold him in the way an adult would. He told him he should not spend all his time just mucking about, but should exercise control of mind over body. Cuthbert pooh poohed the idea, at which the little boy promptly went into a tantrum. He tearfully told Cuthbert that God wanted him to be a holy priest and leader in the church, so how could he waste his life doing things that were against his nature and his calling?

Cuthbert soothed the child in a friendly way, and did, in fact, go home at once to think about what had been said. From that time people noticed that he behaved in a more mature way, and they concluded that the Spirit who spoke to him through the words of an infant, spoke to him also in the recesses of his heart.

I pray, Lord, for the children whom I know.
Help me to encourage them
to listen to the thoughts and pictures
you put into their minds.
Help me to humbly receive what they tell me,
and to keep at least half an ear cocked
for your voice coming to me through them