"Let the little children come to me and hinder them not!" — Matthew 19:14
At first, this seems like nothing more than Jesus teaching his disciples a lesson about the value of every human being, regardless of age. But, if you dig deeper into this, I think you will find the basis for one of the most powerful prayers you will ever pray.
We spend a great deal of time trying to deal with the fruit of sin, and not enough dealing with sin at its root. We find people caught in adultery, greed, lies, addictions, hate, gossip, whatever. And so, maybe we are shocked, maybe we are bold enough to confront these sins, maybe we pray against these sins.
All of that may be fine, but it’s like pounding a brick wall with a baseball bat — we are not likely to make much headway.
After all, what is an adulterer or an alcoholic? What is a greedy or lustful man? Each is an adult who is carrying around a little child within who has been sequestered from Jesus. When our little child needs are met by Jesus Christ, these adult sinful choices no longer make any sense to the redeemed.
Show me an adult in bondage, and I will show you a little child who has been hindered from coming to Jesus.
We have here a powerful word from Jesus here that He wants all these hindrances removed. The will and word of Jesus is stronger than all the forces of hell that keep people in bondage. Do you want to see people delivered? Begin praying that God will remove everything that hinders the little child within from coming to Jesus.
Be encouraged!
Dwight
Dwight Clough is the author of four Christian books and is an active member of Lake City Church in Madison. This devotional is also available via email and you may review the archives back to 2002. Dwight and his wife Kim provide prayer ministry for inner healing / transformation and coaching in prayer ministry. He is available to speak to your group or church. To contact Dwight or Kim, use their contact form. You may also support their ministry.