small and great together

My almost 3-year-old grandson recently said to his babysitter, unprompted, "Jesus died on the cross for you."  I'm sure he hasn't yet developed a theology of the atonement.  But he knew enough to commend the crucified Jesus to someone he loves.

My brilliant 20-something friend is probing the depths of God's Purposes.  His is not a simple faith, given the emotional and physical challenges he faces.  And so he asks the hard questions, seeking more than simple statements in his search for The Truth of God.

Both of these people, at vastly different levels, are among those who follow The Lord in sincere faith and holy fear.  They both evidence sure signs of God's blessing, the one in the relative innocence of childhood, the other in the painful experiences of young adulthood.  

The Psalmist concurs with this generous appeal of The Lord when he writes that He will bless those who fear Him, both small and great alike (Psalm 15:13).  Our God is glad to entertain the simple faith of a small child or that of an adult with mental or emotional challenges.  Such faith, likely centered primarily around their experiences of God through His People, is just as accepted by God as that of a Dallas Willard or an Amy Peeler.  The faith of great minds is centered around their deep study of God's Word as it addresses our life, both personal and public.  This faith is acceptable to God just as surely as the basic faith, Jesus is Lord.  The 20th century theologian Karl Barth was once asked to summarize his entire theological work in one sentence, responding Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.

God invites all of us, both small and great, to love Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.  He doesn't expect us to exceed our intellectual or emotional capacity, nor does He expect us to limit such capacity.  He invites us to come to Him with all we are and have, and He blesses those who do.