Children’s Unique Gift
THE sincere expressions of children often cause adults to stop and think. On one occasion, after seeing Jesus perform some of his miracles, boys began to cry out: “Save, we pray, the Son of David!” The religious leaders objected to this. Blinded by jealousy, they could not discern that Jesus was the Messianic descendant of King David. But Jesus answered them and said: “Did you never read this, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings [God has] furnished praise’?” (Matthew 21:15, 16) Today, God still uses “the mouth of babes” to help those whose minds are blinded by false teaching.—2 Corinthians 4:4.
◻ Daleen, aged 12, proved herself a responsible girl at school. One day she was assigned to keep the class busy while her teacher did other work. What would she do? “I decided to explain to my classmates that righteous people will live forever on earth and that everyone will not go to heaven,” said Daleen. With the teacher’s permission, Daleen presented her information to the class in the form of a conversation with a willing classmate. She read a number of scriptures, including Psalm 37:29: “The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it.” What was the response? “The teacher stopped her work and listened as attentively as the children,” says Daleen. “Afterward she thanked me, and a few of the children asked questions.”
◻ Lillian, aged 5, and her parents lived 12 miles (19 km) from a small South African town where they frequently attended meetings and engaged in house-to-house preaching. One Sunday, because of some car trouble, her parents decided to stay home. “Why aren’t we going out preaching?” asked Lillian. Not being satisfied with the reason, she said: “I’m not going to let that stop me.” Later the mother noticed that Lillian and her witnessing bag were both missing. The little girl was busy visiting nearby homes, liberally giving out Bible literature—including her mother’s personal Bible! One elderly lady was so impressed with Lillian’s explanation of the coming Paradise that she later accepted the offer of a Bible study from Lillian’s mother. This woman eventually became a dedicated worshiper of Jehovah.
Yes, God still uses “the mouth of babes” to furnish praise. Their sincerity can deeply touch adult hearts. Appropriately, then, children along with adults are included in the grand invitation: “Praise Jehovah from the earth, . . . you young men and also you virgins, you old men together with boys. Let them praise the name of Jehovah, for his name alone is unreachably high.”—Psalm 148:7, 12, 13.