Sermons in Shoes

Some of the greatest theology I have ever encountered has come through the words of children’s Sunday School songs. Consider this example:

Do you know, O Christian, you’re a sermon in shoes?Jesus calls upon you to spread the gospel news. So walk it and talk it, live it and give it,Teach it and preach it, know it and show it—A sermon in shoes.

One such “sermon in shoes” sat in the front row of our church every Sunday morning for many years. As I went to the pulpit, I would see David and his parents. David was a young boy born with Down’s Syndrome. Through him, I witnessed and heard the most profound message about trust I have ever known.

David always had a smile on his face. I never saw him overcome by worry, anxiety, or disappointment. Whenever he looked at his father and mother, his eyes reflected pure love and trust. David never worried about whether he would have a roof over his head, clothes to wear, or a warm bed at night. He never wondered whether breakfast would be waiting for him the next morning—because it always was.

David was secure in the love of his parents. He knew they loved him, cared for him, and would provide for his needs. He faced each day with a heart full of trust.

During the years that David’s family worshiped with us, whenever I began to worry about God’s provision for my family and me, the Holy Spirit would remind me to look at the sermon David was preaching through his life. That young man truly was a sermon in shoes.

In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:7–11).

In Matthew 6, Jesus addresses our anxiety about food, clothing, and shelter. He reminds us:

“Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (Matthew 6:32).

Do you hear that? Your heavenly Father knows all your needs—spiritual, emotional, and physical. Not only does He know them; He delights in caring for His children so that we may live with trust and peace, knowing that we serve a good Father.

Jesus then gives us the way to experience both God’s provision and the inner peace that comes from knowing Him: “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow…” (Matthew 6:33–34).

God wants us to trust Him for our daily bread and our daily needs, just as David trusted his parents’ love and care. David never gave a second thought to the possibility that they would betray his childlike trust.

Do you trust God in this way?