Good Father

Recently I’ve been having difficulty reconciling some situations that have been going on around me. Then I read the news of the awful things going on in the world and have an even harder time. I wonder why God’s not doing anything. I wonder why He’s letting things happen. I wonder if He sees any of it at all. Reading through Isaiah for my bible study has been enlightening. When God’s people turned from Him and decided to follow other gods, He saw. When they became prideful and arrogant, He saw. When they refused signs from Him because they didn’t think they needed his help, He saw. Nothing is new under the sun. The sins of Israel are the sins of today. We put other things (jobs, relationships, money, success) before God. We think we can do everything on our own. We don’t pray because we don’t think we need His help.

And I wonder why the world is so chaotic. I may be just a tad obtuse.

I feel like if I could control some people things would be much better. Not all people, just the ones that are directly affecting my life. If they would just let me tell them how to do their life, everything would go swimmingly (because obviously I think I’m the authority on how to “do life”, oh wait…). I get angry when I’m the victim of things that are out of my control. I get angry when people I love are hurt by the sins of another. I can’t control people and it’s maddening sometimes. This is when I need to be reminded that God is not in charge of sin. We hold our sin all on our own. He is grieved by sin and He is grieved when His children are hurt by sin. His Word says He is close to the brokenhearted (Ps. 34:18) and being on the receiving end of hurt can be heartbreaking.

I’ve been listening to a song over and over the past few days when I’m driving, and the more I listen the more I’m reminded of who God is. He is a good Father. As a parent, we can’t protect our kids from every bad thing in this world. We can try but ultimately we will fail. We live in an imperfect world and, for now, that’s just the way it is. What I’m learning is that what we CAN offer them is a safe place to land. Give them a place where they feel loved and cared for. We can’t fight all their battles, but we can give refuge to our little soldiers. God is a Father that gives us a safe place. Over and over in the bible, God is compared to a refuge, a hiding place, a sanctuary, a strong tower. In a world full of crazy He is the only place we will find peace. He sees what’s going on and He wants to walk with us into battle but He will also bring us back from the war, wrap up our battle wounds, and give us a place to rest. Remember He is close to the brokenhearted, He will save the crushed in spirit. He’s a good Father and He loves His kids fiercely. If this life is beating you down, He is here for you. Find rest in His promises to His people. In 1 Peter 3:12 says, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer.” He sees us and He’s waiting to hear from us, guys.

If you have a minute, give this song a listen. It’s a little repetitive but sometimes I need that to drive home the message. It’s long because it’s the live version but just listen to the first few minutes and let it wash over you. It's called Good Good Father by the Housefires.

[audio m4a="https://courtneypallen.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/07-good-good-father.m4a"][/audio]

You can do this life because you are loved my a good Father. He will not let you go.

-Courtney

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