REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, written by Pastor Sam Lee who leads Catalyst Agape Church in Northern New Jersey, was first posted on October 28, 2013.  He is a graduate of University of Wisconsin (BA) and Biblical Theological Seminary (M.Div.).

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“The Best Father You Can Ever Have”

Psalm 103:13, 17 (NIV)

“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him…. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children . . .”

Throughout the Scripture, the imagery of father is used to represent God.  While those who have good earthly fathers can readily relate to this, even those who are not so good fathers would not give a stone to a son who asked for bread (Matt. 7:9).   Even so, as good as some of our fathers are, it pales in comparison to the character of our Heavenly Father.  So whether we have a strong relationship with our earthly father, one important aspect of our faith journey is to know our Heavenly Father and to build a strong relationship with Him: personally, experientially, and intimately.

King David, known as a man after God’s own heart, knew the Heavenly Father intimately and built a deep relationship with Him; many of the Psalms are David’s wonderful songs about his God.   Was this because David’s father Jesse was a wonderful and wise man?   Not necessarily.   When asked by Samuel to bring his sons to anoint one of them, Jesse didn’t even think to call David, who, being the youngest of the eight sons (I Sam. 16:8-10), was not as physically impressive as his brothers.  During a dangerous period of war, Jesse sent David to find out the safety of his other sons (1Sam.17:16-17). Though we do not have the whole picture of the relationship between David and his father, my guess is that Jesse wasn’t the greatest father to David.  But regardless of his relationship with his father, David had a wonderful relationship with the Heavenly Father.  He sings,

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (Psalm 103:1-5 NIV)

So, if you haven’t had the best of the earthly fathers, it’s okay.  You can still have a great relationship with the Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1).

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me not to come to You just for Your benefits but to enjoy intimacy with You.  Remind me of the good things You are doing in my life.  Empower me to give You appropriate praises and thanks in response. Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Genesis 28