In my devotional last week I shared how my mom was remarried and her husband adopted me and how it parallels our adoption into the family of God through Christ’s death on the cross. This week I would like to share another parallel that I find between my relationship with my earthly father and my heavenly Father.
My dad and I had a special connection. We spent quite a bit of time together in the pick-up driving to and from jobs. It was scary for me sometimes when we would have covered several miles without saying a word to each other and Dad would make a comment or ask a question about something I had been thinking about. There was a point where I tried to be careful what I was thinking about in case Dad could actually read my mind.
When I moved out on my own it was often months between my visits home or his visits to my house. We spent the first few minutes of our reunion catching up on the news and then we would just sit together without either of us saying a word, sometimes for a couple hours at a time. For me, and I guess for him, it was enough just to be together. He liked to fish and we often sat along a bank somewhere just soaking up being together.
I have a similar relationship with my heavenly Father. Sometimes when I go to Him in prayer I go through the laundry list of the things I want Him to do and the people I want Him to bless and then I go on my way. The times I feel closest to God, though is when I just sit down with Him, catch up on the news and then I just spend time in His presence. I find it best if I don’t say a word, but just sit there and remember the times we’ve shared together, the faithful way He has directed my paths, and just to soak in the knowledge that He loves me more than I can imagine.
Sometimes when we are sitting quietly together, His precious Holy Spirit brings things to my mind. Sometimes they are people or situations I need to pray for and about. Sometimes it is quiet conviction of how I need to grow in our relationship. Sometimes it is just the blessed assurance that I am His and He is mine.
It is important for us to spend time in intercessory prayer lifting up the needs of others. It is important for us to lay our own burdens at the feet of our Father and trust that He will take care of them. I believe too that it is important for us to just sit quietly and bask in the beautiful presence of God.
I challenge you this week to find a time when you can sit quietly and invite your heavenly Father to come and sit down beside you and exchange a few pleasantries and then just be still and know that He is God.
Blessings,
Pastor Ken