“Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.”
To what is the Psalmist directing our attention in Psalm 8:2?
Anyone with the capacity for compassion and interest in the preservation of families and interest in the future of humankind is moved by the cry of an infant or young child. A call from a helpless and defenseless child stirs an alarm in the bosom of one with a Parent’s heart that brings her immediately to address the need of her child….. to feed, change, bathe, cradle in her arms, soothe his cry, comfort his fear, assess his safety, secure a bond with him, sate his hunger, remove a hazard, or whatever is needed by the child in that moment.
Everything and everyone else has to wait…. agendas, personal preferences, demands of work, play, entertainment, the Parent’s own fears…… all the distractions of the Enemy have to be set aside to meet the most important…. and most urgent plea from a Parent’s child. Any distraction that draws the Parent away from the protection and care of a Parent for her child is the Enemy of the child.
Such is the power of a child’s utterance, the nuances of which the Parent ‘s instincts and bond of loving care learn to discern and distinguish, one from another so that his wellbeing may be assured, his trust cultivated, his significance established, and security manifested in the heart and mind of her child, just as God ordains and preserves for the sake of growth and continuation of His coming Kingdom among mankind.
For a loving Mother, an utterance of a child draws attention to the child’s need, away from any other demand…… It is a strong defense for a child. it stills the Enemy of the child by focusing all attention upon itself, by breaking the power of all distractions’ influence upon the loving Parent.
In the Christian faith, we believe that the Spirit of God is present with a child from conception, putting in place the foundation for the child’s long term care and development. until the child is of an age and condition to choose for himself the One who will continue to influence and guide his path. The cry of a child in need of care IS the cry of God’s own heart to still the Enemy and draw the Parent to the child.
Parents in Christian faith community are instructed in God’s Word to care for their children. They are given principles by which to raise them well and provided assistance to do so. Children also are instructed to obey their Parents. When children mature, they are directed to honor them. In a Parent’s old age their children are directed to care for them. And by that means there is accomplished family preservation, safety, and continuity. If those Words are obeyed, God’s blessings flow forth for thousands of generations. If Parents are distracted by the Enemy’s ploys, negligent in their duties to a child, or consumed by the Enemy’s temptation to pursue own desires and pleasures, the community stands ready to fill the gap. If the child is in a family in which third or fourth generation family disruption has been the case, it will take a transformative intervention with multiple generations to break the Enemy’s hold…… faith family coming alongside and serving the interests of the youngest generation while re-parenting the prior generations and pursuing emotional and structural healing for the family.
When measures by the State have created more harm than good in family systems, the family needs the Church to stand up, own its responsibility to be the family’s support, advocate, and mentor.
When the State promotes and funds abortion, there is no demonstrated concern for the future of families. When Christian organizations for family care and wellbeing are restricted from pursuing their mission and the Church’s influence is legislated away, there is no recognition of God’s plan and provision for families. When the State acts in haste, following a mandated template instead of practicing sound, professional case evaluation and management thec State usurps the roles of Parent, Family, Church, Community and God. There must be lines of communication and community oversight of the functions of State or the State itself becomes the interfering distraction for the Parent and the Enemy of the child and bring the child’s Parent meet the child’s needs.
The State needs to restrict its role somewhat and take the time to assess the response of family, church, community, and God before inserting itself as usurper of all those roles unnecessarily.