"Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger." Psalm 8:2
"And they said to him, "Do you hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes, have you never read, "Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise;?" Matthew 21:16
This is a missionary story. I have often read it, and I know it is true. It happened in a little village, in an out-of-the-way corner of India, where a missionary had gone to baptize sixty or seventy men and women and to form them into a Christian church.
When the service began the missionary noticed a boy about twelve years of age, sitting away back in the corner of the building, looking very much interested and listening with all his might. After he had baptized and received into the church all the grown-up men and women who had professed their faith in the Lord Jesus as their Savior, he was surprised to see this boy come forward and stand in front of the pulpit. The missionary said to him, "What, my lad, do you want to unite with the church and sit down to the Lord's Supper?" The boy said, "Yes, sir." The missionary looked at him lovingly, and said, "But you are very young, and I know nothing about you, and no one has taught you about the Christian faith, and after a while you may grow careless and indifferent. Perhaps it will be better for you to wait. I will be here again in less than a year, and if during that time you will study hard and prepare yourself, then, if you wish to unite with the church, I will receive you gladly." The boy said nothing, but turned away to his seat with a very sad heart, and the missionary saw that he was very, very much disappointed. Before the little fellow reached his seat, the missionary saw all the people standing up and they all began to talk at once. After a little while they allowed one man to speak for the rest, and he said: "Why, sir, this boy has taught us all we know about Jesus." And what he said proved to be the truth. That boy had learned the story of the Gospel at a mission school in a distant village, and had returned to his heathen home to tell the story of Jesus to his own people and to his friends. He read to them out of the New Testament until they too gave their hearts to God and were led to Jesus. So you see this little lad was really the minister of the village.
Of course, I do not think that boys should preach like grown-up men, but I am sure if they love Jesus and live as He would like to have them live, kind and obedient and true, that they will be able to do more for Him than they could do, even if they were able to preach great, long, eloquent sermons. You know the Bible says, "A little child shall lead them." I want you to remember this verse for the text. I have known fathers and mothers with whom ministers and Sunday school teachers and elders and deacons seemed to have no influence, who were led to Jesus by their own little boy or girl. We sing sometimes, " Jesus wants me for a sunbeam," and I think a sunbeam is the most beautiful and most useful thing in all the world. Hugh Kerr
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