Knowing God's Heart

Trying to know God’s heart is like trying to plumb the depths of the universe. It can’t be done. But I think parents are in a unique position to glimpse at least part of it. Jesus, when praying what has become known as the Lord’s Prayer, begins with “Our Father, who art in Heaven” (Matthew 6:9), thus teaching us that God wishes to be known as a father, and we, as believers in Jesus, are His children (Romans 8:14-17).  But not just father. No. That barely scratches the surface. But He wants us to know Him as Jesus did, as “Abba”, as “Daddy”.

Oh, what a tender word “daddy” is! It tells us that our Father’s heart isn’t cold or distant.  It tell us that our Daddy is someone on whose lap we can crawl when we need hugs, or on whose shoulder we can lean or cry. As Daddy, God invests Himself in our lives.  He cares about every aspect of them.  No detail is too small to warrant His attention. He knows us better than we know ourselves.  His love is unconditional.  We don’t have to earn it. Oh, how often we are like babies, demanding and helpless; and like babies, not appreciative of the love and care our Daddy lavishes on us. But He loves us anyway, because He is love. And He loved us even before we first loved Him. And when we make mistakes, He doesn’t disown us or threaten to cut off our inheritance.

He’s a Daddy that weeps when we hurt, rejoices when we succeed. He sees us for what we can be, and not the mess we sometimes are. He’s there to encourage, guide, direct, and help. He wants and knows what’s best for us, even when we don’t, and patiently bears our scorn and anger and temper tantrums when He withholds something for our own good. He has set down rules for our benefit. And not wanting us to be spoiled, but rather to grow into that person He has created us to be, He must often correct and discipline. Yet at the same time, He is ever ready to lavish His undeserved love and blessings upon us. And His mercies are new every morning. We can never exhaust them. He’ll never throw in the towel or wash His hands of us, but He’ll stay the course; able and willing to use our mistakes to make something wonderful of us.

And even when we turn our back on Him; when we refuse to acknowledge that He is responsible for all the good in our lives or when we’ve gone off to live in the pig sty, our Daddy’s heart is ever with us, watching and yearning for us, the prodigal, to return to His outstretched waiting arms.  And like any good parent, He’s willing to lay down His life for us, and He actually did, over two thousand years ago on Calvary’s cross.

Yet all this is but a small glimpse of God’s heart. As much as I love my children, I know God loves them so much more, and that puts me in a place I can’t comprehend. But isn’t it marvelous that we don’t have to? All we need do is just allow Daddy to love us, and though we can never love Him as He truly deserves to be love, we can give Him our own puny, shriveled little heart in return.

Until next time,

Sylvia