Perfect Praise

My first grand-baby is 2 months old.
 His name is Nathaniel and it's a wonder his face has anything left to it
 because I eat him up every chance I get.

Whenever I go through a significant event in life, I read familiar Scripture with a new perspective. Just the other day, I read this story.

Jesus, His disciples, and a great multitude of people were coming out of Jericho and heading towards Jerusalem.  The disciples spread their cloaks on the back of a donkey and its' colt and they set Him on them.  The road turned from dull brown to a quilt of color as people laid their robes and palm branches on the pathway, welcoming Him as King,
"Hosanna to the Son of David!
 Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!
Hosanna in the highest!"

They were loud and excited and the whole city was moved saying, "Who is this?"
"This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth," shouted back the crowd.

Jesus marched right into the temple and threw out those who were buying and selling and taking advantage of poor people. He caused chaos with His righteous fury. Tables, men, coins, and birds went flying. It was scary. The newly vacated space in the temple was soon filled up with the blind and the lame, and the House of Prayer became a House of Healing, for He healed them all.

The religious leaders saw all of these wonderful things that He did and heard the children crying out in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" They got mad and said to Jesus,  "Do you hear what the little children are saying?"

Jesus said, "Yes. Have you never read, "Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants,
 You have perfected praise?"

He left them and went out to Bethany and rested there. (Matthew 21-NKJV)
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Our little Nathan is a babe and a nursing infant.

I've been watching him, thinking, "Out of his little rosebud mouth,
God has perfected praise."
He coos. He cries. He grunts. He yells in frustration.
He communicates honestly.
Whatever comes out of his mouth comes out in spirit and in truth.
Perfect praise.

All expressions are directed to someone who is bigger than he is.
Nathan coos and cries because someone is there holding him.
Someone is there who can talk with him.
Someone is there to feed him and change him and make it all better.

Would to God we would enter the Kingdom of heaven like a child,
with perfect praise on our lips.
"Hosanna to the Son of David!
You are bigger than I am!
Talk to me!
Have mercy on me!
I need You!"

Nathan's honest cry,
my honest cry-whether it be full of joy or full of sorrow-
is perfected praise.