The Father's Song
Where is God?
I am sure that most people would agree that we humans strive to know God. Throughout history, man has repeatedly asked, "Where is God?" Answering to a call of god to sacrifice his beloved son, Abraham and his son slowly climbed the mountain. As they went, the only thing that sustained him was a promise deposited into his heart: "through Isaac your descendants will be named."(Gen.21:2) The stone alter was built, the wood arranged, the sacrifice bound and yet there was only this pressing inner conviction that God would provide. The words echoed out from Isaac's mouth, into their empty and lonely place, as it has through time, "WHERE IS THE LAMB?" Yet despite this, He remains an enigma, a mystery....and I ask myself why, as many continue to search. We are a worshiping people. It is our nature. And when we don't know who that god is, we turn our gaze inward.
The Struggle
From the moment we are born, a struggle begins within us as thoughts of self dominate our lives: thoughts of pride in our achievements and possessions; our earthly passions; our goals and plans. We become lost in ourselves, worshiping ourselves. The dilemma is that we were created to worship Him, the one true god, our creator. This is our sin and with it, we can never know the Father as we were meant to...knowing His love.
He calls
The essence of God is revealed to us throughout nature, in His colours, textures, odours and sounds but we cannot inhale, see, touch and hear enough of His beauty around us to be satisfied.(Rom.1:20) His goodness is played out for us in history but it is only in the presence of Jesus Christ that the image of the invisible God is unfolded for us to see...to follow.(Col.1:15) He gave us His perfect and holy son to walk among us, teaching us how to love. We learn of the Father through Him as He is in the Father and the Father is in Him. "He that hath seen Me, hath seen the Father."(John 14:9) If we can grasp that we are His children and reach out for His forgiveness by believing in His son, we will establish a new identity for ourselves. In Him we learn of ourselves. As we lean on Him in our weakness, He makes us strong. He knows our sins but can also see deep inside to our heart's desire. He calls us beautiful. He is our loving father. This rich identity deposited into us, grows as we continue to walk with Him. His goodness is daily. As His spirit speaks to us through His word, in our hearts. He continues to call to us.
A Tender Heart Hears
I think back to when I worked on the northern coast of Newfoundland and Labrador for the Grenfell Association. Our hospital was situated in St. Anthony, a small harbour town at the tip of the northern peninsula. Life was simple there. The fog was a common occurrence as it flowed inland into narrows along the coast and back out again. Our lives were ordered by its coming and going. It affected the day to day running of the hospital as the small sea planes carried patients back and forth between their outport homes and the hospital. Sometimes patients were forced to remain in hospital for days until the fog moved out to sea.
Working night shifts in the children's ward at the hospital, I spent many mornings watching the sun rise over this quiet little harbour town. Just before dawn, the fishermen would start there outboard motors, making ready to head out to check their nets at sea. We would watch out the window as long as we could until the harbour and the surrounding houses became visible before beginning our morning duties.
One early morning, the hospital lay quiet as the sun had just begun to rise. We had several little children who had been waiting for the fog to clear so they could return to their homes. Just as I was about to begin my work, I heard a "SWISH...SWISH...SWISH" and coming down the corridor was a little girl, no more than five years old that was scheduled to leave on the plane that morning to return to her home. At dawn's first light, she had gotten up and taken her outerwear; dressed herself in her jacket, pants, hat, boots; and to her mind, began her journey home to her mother and her father. In tears she was taken to her room to be washed, redressed and fed. That night she again lay her outer clothing by her bed as the fog had stubbornly refused to leave. Many tears were shed and we tried our best to console her. I wish I could return to that morning and looking into that little girl's eyes and with a much gentler heart received from life's journey, I would tell her that she would go home. Her tender heart's desire was to return to the call of love in her heart.
One thing do I ask of the Lord,
it is this that I seek-
that I dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to behold the Lord's sweetness
and to gaze on His palace.
Psalm 27:4
To be continued...
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