“Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.” Psalm 8:4
If I were to ask you to assemble a crack team of warriors to do great battle, whom would you choose? More than likely, if you’re thinking like me, you’re leaning towards the offensive line of the Dallas Cowboys. You’d want really big strong guys that are prepared to fight, suffer, and sacrifice for the victory of the team. But what if you assembled your team that weighed more than a cattle car of beef, only to show up for the big fight to realize I had brought a team of googling, drooling babies. Can you think of a bigger insult? And on top of that, what if my team of babes soundly defeated your giants? I’m thinking that you and your team would never want to show your face or utter a word of that battle ever again. But you see, this is the way God works. This is the way God does battle. He uses the weak, He uses the lowly, He uses the frail. God implants His strength in the most unlikely vessels so that there is no doubt where the strength of the vessel lies.
The author of Psalm 8, David, was more than aware of this tactic from God. At only 12-13 years old, he personally felt the call of God to do battle with a Philistine giant that was pushing 9 feet tall and wore armor that weighed more than he did. As Goliath mocked the armies of God, we saw God march out a babe to do battle with a trained warrior. And the unlikely vessel of God was soundly triumphant that day. On the top of Mount Carmel, we see frail and timid Elisha challenge 850 false prophets of Baal and Asherah. A challenge to battle not with him, but his God. Elisha believed at this time, that he was the only prophet of God left, and soon after he fled the battle in fright to hide in a cave. But during the mountaintop showdown, Elijah stood firm in his faith in the Lord, and called down fire that insulted and ridiculed the small army of blasphemers that stood against God. The great faith of a scared child won the day for the Lord.
God uses the small, the weak, and the seemingly insignificant. God chooses to use unlikely vessels to do his miraculous work. All that is needed to be used of God is the simple, honest faith of a child. You and I must put aside our adult nature, that is a nature saturated with pride and egotism, and draw into the presence of the Lord and realize not who we are, but who He is. Not what we offer but what He provides. And as we do, we will see the true power of the Lord manifested, a power that radiates not from faith that looks like a California redwood, but faith that looks like a mustard seed. For you see, Jesus realizes that the less faith we have in ourselves, the more faith we can have in Him. And folks, it’s all about great faith in our great God. Great faith in God allowed inexperienced Joshua to do nothing but march around Jericho seven times to see it fall. Great faith in God allowed stuttering and scared Moses to simply raise a staff and part a mighty sea. And today, as you draw near to God with the simple faith of an infant, God will massage it in His mighty hands and see it grow to something that will allow you to bear abundant fruit for the kingdom of God. Today, don’t look in the mirror and see a mighty warrior for Christ, see the likeness of young David, foolishly dressed in the oversized armor of Saul. And just as David did in his great childlike faith, remove that armor, and go into battle holding nothing but the promises of God…for that is enough.
“Then David said to the Philistine (Goliath), “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” 1 Samuel 17:45
“Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:4
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