Kingdom Of The Cheerful Child

Circumcise your heart so that you may see like a child and live with a cheerful heart.

“Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, “Go away…a famine in the land that will last seven years…She and her family went…At the end of the seven years she came back…and went to appeal to the king for her house and land. The king was talking to Gehazi…Tell me about all the great things Elisha has done. Just as Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, the woman whose son Elisha had brought back to life came…Give back everything that belonged to her…Ben-Hadad king of Aram was ill…Will I recover from this illness?’ ” Elisha answered…You will certainly recover…Then the man of God began to weep. “Why is my Lord weeping?” asked Hazael. “Because I know the harm you will do…Hazael left Elisha and returned to his master. When Ben-Hadad asked, “What did Elisha say to you?” Hazael replied, “He told me that you would certainly recover.” But the next day he took a thick cloth, soaked it in water and spread it over the king’s face, so that he died. Then Hazael succeeded him as king.” 2 Kings 8:1-15

The Bible is full of stories that contrast good and evil, right and wrong, greed and generosity, love and hate, loyalty and unfaithfulness, fear and faith, truth and falsehood, and life and death. What we see is that everything comes back to a person’s heart. The condition of the heart determines how a person lives. You have a choice to make, and God wants you to make the right one.

In the first story, we see that God protected a woman who trusted in Him by guiding her away from the famine. She took a great risk by leaving her hometown and everything she had behind. The truth is that she lost ownership of her property and had no assurance that her land would be returned. By faith, she left, and by faith, she returned. God’s ways and timing are perfect.

At exactly the right time, God brought her home and, like a Hollywood ending, placed her in front of the one person who could restore what she had lost. The text says that at just the right moment, as they were talking about the miracle God had performed, she walked in. What can you learn from this? Where are you struggling with waiting or taking a step of faith?

The other story in the text is tragic. We see the unfaithfulness of Hazael and how it hurts God’s heart when someone pursues evil. Elisha wept. Think of how Jesus wept over Jerusalem before He entered the city where He would be killed. Hazael murdered his master to elevate himself to the throne, not realizing that this life on earth is but a breath compared to eternity. He may have gained the throne, but who among us remembers Hazael? He has long been forgotten.

Why do we give up the eternal to gain the earthly? Are we really that different from Hazael? Every time we pursue selfish gain, ignore justice, prioritize our own prosperity over opportunities to help those in need, or pursue our own pride and purposes, we forfeit the kingdom of God. Our world encourages people to become far more like Hazael than the humble widow.

“The king rejoices in your strength, Lord. How great is his joy in the victories you give! You have granted him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. You came to greet him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head. Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty. Surely you have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence. For the king trusts in the Lord; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken. Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed. Be exalted in your strength, Lord; we will sing and praise your might.” Psalms 21:1-13

Can you see the contrasts within this chapter? It contrasts focusing on God’s strength with relying on one’s own strength, seeing everything as a gift from God with viewing everything as something earned by one’s own hand, trusting in God’s unfailing love with plotting evil and devising wicked schemes, and exalting God’s name with elevating one’s own name.

David was a king, but he did not exalt himself or boast about his own strength. Most kings love to brag about how great and mighty they are. Think about what you see on social media and how people leverage likes to increase their status, making sure everyone knows how successful they are so that they can gain more followers. This is the culture we live in. It is all about me.

David’s words revealed David’s heart. Rather than talking about what he could do, he sang about what God had done and would continue to do. Can you see the difference? David did not care whether people praised him. He wanted people to praise God. He lived to give God glory, and his prayers pleased God. What is your life song saying?

“The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him. The Lord detests the way of the wicked, but he loves those who pursue righteousness. All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast. Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil. A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel. The Lord tears down the house of the proud, but he sets the widow’s boundary stones in place. The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked, but gracious words are pure in his sight. The greedy bring ruin to their households, but the one who hates bribes will live. The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil. The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous. Whoever heeds life-giving correction will be at home among the wise. Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord, and humility comes before honor.” Proverbs 15:8-33

What would our world be like if we all read Proverbs and lived according to the ways of the Lord? Conflict and chaos would disappear. We would not have people going without meals, nor would we see rampant injustice. The way to change the world is to begin by changing our own hearts. Proverbs is personal. God gives us wisdom and calls us to walk in His ways. Will we?

Wisdom tells us that humility comes before honor, and we know that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Every day, we have thousands of choices to make about how we will live, what we will pursue, and who will have authority in our lives. Wisdom tells us to pray continually, pursue righteousness, be patient with others, protect and provide for those in need, embrace God’s instruction, and learn to live with a cheerful heart that trusts fully in our Heavenly Father.

What is the opposite? It is often what we see in the world around us and in the temptations that lie within us. The wicked person follows their own way, is unfaithful, wants wealth more than wisdom, is prideful and greedy, is willing to stir up conflict or harm others like Hazael to get ahead, and is unwilling to change. How is your walk going? Are you pleasing God with your prayers and the posture of your heart?

“If you, Israel, will return, then return to me,” declares the Lord. “If you put your detestable idols out of my sight and no longer go astray…then the nations will invoke blessings by Him…Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, circumcise your hearts, you people…or my wrath will flare up and burn like fire because of the evil you have done…wash the evil from your heart and be saved. How long will you harbor wicked thoughts?…Your own conduct and actions have brought this on you. This is your punishment. How bitter it is! How it pierces to the heart!”…I have heard the sound of the trumpet; I have heard the battle cry.” Jeremiah 4:1-19

God is not quiet about what He wants us to do. He raises banners, blasts trumpets, and calls out in every way we can hear. He tells us to circumcise our hearts and turn from our wicked ways so that He can bless us and bring us back to where we belong. God will not bless disobedience or honor those who refuse to honor Him.

What does it mean to you to circumcise your heart? Where have you gone astray or followed your own way? What idol has erected a statue in your sight or made a home in your heart? God says to wash the evil from your heart and be saved. He says that a blessing awaits you. His desire is to bestow blessings, but He will not give you what is not best for you. Build your life on Jesus and boast in Him alone.

“To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted…Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it…A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” You know the commandments…All these I have kept…You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy…As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging…They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”…“What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, I want to see,” he replied. Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.” Luke 18:9-43

Can you see the contrasts? Who are you more like? Are you more like the self-righteous Pharisee or the humble sinner? Are you more like the wealthy ruler whose possessions and sense of security keep him from following Jesus, or more like the blind beggar who simply cries out for mercy, believing that Jesus can heal him?

Jesus came to change our lives. He asks us, Will you live for God or live for yourself? Will you love Him with all your heart? Will you be humble and pursue righteousness? Will you receive His kingdom like a little child? These are not just pithy sayings or bumper-sticker slogans. They are calls to action and invitations to circumcise our hearts.

The widow trusted and was restored. David rejoiced in the Lord and found joy. The tax collector humbled himself and went home justified. The blind man had faith in Jesus and received his sight. Again and again, God honors the humble, hears the righteous, protects the weak, and blesses those who trust Him.

Which path are you walking today? Are you building your life on ambition or on obedience? Is your heart becoming more cheerful or more callous? Are your prayers centered on building your own kingdom or bringing God’s kingdom? The cheerful heart described in Proverbs is not cheerful because life is easy. Life will never be easy.

It is cheerful because it knows that every good gift comes from God. It knows that grace and mercy are gifts. It knows that all we have is from Him. When we see everything as a gift from God, circumcising our hearts by recognizing the blessings of our Beloved Savior, our whole worldview changes. We are freed from fear and find our hope in Christ as we are led by the Holy Spirit.

Will you circumcise your heart? One thing we should all acknowledge is that we all fall short of the glory of God. We all need to circumcise certain areas of our hearts. We all need to lay down idols, eliminate pride, surrender selfish desires, and choose the way of humility that leads to honor, the way of prayer that pleases God, and the way of righteousness that brings life.

The Father knows every need and delights to provide what is good. The God who guarded the widow, heard the blind beggar, justified the humble sinner, and restored what had been lost is the same God who is smiling over you today. Let your life become a testimony to others as you proclaim, like David, that every blessing, every victory, and every good thing belongs to God.