MY FATHER
02nd Oct 2019
When I was eleven years old I began to know God as my Father. I was in trouble at school and a wise senior mistress suggested I might like to ask for God’s help and sent me to my boarding school dormitory to be alone and pray. The only prayer I knew was the “Lord’s Prayer” so I knelt and reverently and slowly prayed what before had been rote, but now became reality.
Reading Luke 11 this week, a new wonder of his Fatherhood came again. The disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, and His response was to point them to a relationship not a formula. God was someone so holy, so distant, so unapproachable, so feared that the image of “Father” must have come as a shock. Was it really possible to know God in an intimate way, or was that only for the likes of Moses or the prophets?
Psalm 103:13 says, “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.” Almighty God feels for you, knows you, sees your circumstances and desires to help you. Jesus said, “I’m not alone for my Father is with me.” Psalm 68:19 tells us He wants to bear our burdens on a daily basis, He wants to shield us from harm and danger, to impart wisdom to us, to guide and prosper us.
I remember reading a book, “I Dared to Call Him Father.” by Bilquis Sheikh who became a believer despite severe persecution, and the wonder of this relationship kept her through many trials and troubles and enabled her to triumph over them.
So value Father today, say His Name in awe and wonder - My Father. As you feel His presence and amazing love, give Him the burdens He has promised to carry. Ask for His help in the daily round of life; expect Him to speak to you and direct you by His Spirit. Remain a child in His arms, secure and confident in His ability to sort out things that are beyond you.
God’s Fatherhood and His desire for relationship is a revelation. That’s what happened to Saul of Tarsus who, though being a man of great learning, who knew the letter of the law and had studied the scriptures, had the scales removed from his eyes when he came to know Jesus and the Father, and became a different man.
Our Father, Hallowed be your Name. See Him afresh today, your Mighty God, Head of the Angel Armies, Deliverer, Healer, Provider, Friend, Carer, Wisdom, Counsellor … and so much more.
by Joyce Sibthorpe
