But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, and the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. Galatians 4:4-7
Considering this is a week celebrating families, there is no more appropriate way to close it out than the reminder that we, as God’s adopted sons and daughters, are members of the most precious family of all. We may have had amazing earthly parents (I know my husband and I both did), but if we can truly grasp the love, grace, mercy, and sovereignty of the Lord, we know nothing compares. Think about the love your dad had for you and multiply it by infinity. But what if your dad wasn’t someone you could look up to or was absent from your life, as is the case for Kate in A Sojourner’s Solace?
According to Tina Chambers Smith, founder of Raising Kids on You Knees, “If you find yourself wrestling with your relationship with God, take a look at your relationship with your earthly father…How we parent, especially dads, gives our children their view of God.” This makes sense on so many levels—not only personally but culturally. Maybe I’m climbing out on the far, skinny end of a limb here, but the decline of Christianity might very well correlate with decline of the family unit. And we’ve seen that trend for more than fifty years.
But our God is greater than the work of the enemy. I often reflect on Psalm 139 and always choke up when reading verses 13-16: For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Each of us is a precise, beautiful, and unique work of our Heavenly Father. It doesn’t matter if your earthly father failed you, he is not the one who formed you from the inside out. He is not the one who knows your heart better than even you. We are children of the Most High God, and there can be no comparison to that royal priesthood.
Events in my life over the past few months remind me that when we pray for something the Lord deems good for us, we can know He’s already in the background working it out before we even utter a request. That astounds me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. Psalm 139:2-4
As Chris Tomlin sings, “He is a good, good Father.” What an understatement that is!
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Nope I dont think you are climbing out on a limb here. I have seen the decline of family and therefore the decline of honest and substantial children who care about others. My own father was physically there, but that is all really. So I had trouble with believing my heavenly father could be good. But God is “good” and He and the Holy Spirit introduced me to the right people who could help me, and now my Father is soo soo good. I love Chris Tomlins song
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What a blessing it is that the Lord ministers to our hearts regardless of our past hurts. I am thrilled He found you where you were and brought you into His grace-filled, loving light.