Be content to be a child, and let the Father proportion out daily to thee what light, what power, what exercises, what straits, what fears, what troubles he sees fit for thee.
~Isaac Penington (1616-1679)
Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be Your Name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, for ever. Amen And He said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you fathers then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
~ Jesus, King of the Universe, in Luke 11 and Matthew 6
Oh beloved, it is true. We have a very good Dad. And this Dad has done the utterly impossible to bring about the nearly unbelievable, to show us the incomprehensible Love He has for us.
We almost understand the epic and sacrificial Love of a the Father who cast His own judgement against His own Son that we might live. Almost. And while we cannot fully comprehend this kind of Love, we can begin to understand the heroic and stoic beauty of the Father who would sacrifice His own precious Offspring for the billions of us in need.
But how did it get like this? How did it ever come about that a person in the Person of Jesus Christ, the only Begotten of His Father would ever willingly, joyfully, obediently, purposefully and completely set His own face towards Jerusalem that He might die – and we might then Live in Him?
Jesus trusted His Dad.
Jesus Loved His Dad.
Jesus knew His Dad.
Jesus believed His Dad had the right plan.
Jesus knew that any existence apart from His Dad was worse than not existing at all.
Jesus knew His Dad was really strong.
Jesus knew His Dad was REALLY Loving.
Jesus knew His Dad was about to make Himself and His Son more famous than they had ever been before.
Jesus was so utterly convinced of His Dad’s goodness and Love and Joy and Strength and everything else that He just knew doing His Father’s will was exactly the right thing to do. And so, Jesus being G_d Himself, did just that too. Even though the task before Him was the darkest and most difficult thing ever, He was simply compelled by the Love pouring out between the two of them to do what He had to do.
He knew. He just knew His Dad would bring Him through it.
And so, we hear the gorgeous words off the gorgeous lips of our gorgeous Saviour that night in the garden of Gethsemene, “not My will, but Thy will be done.” For these were not words of resignation or fatalism. Rather, they were the words of a Man who was utterly convinced that He could, should, and would do what His Dad wanted Him to do. For the Love and trust and communion and Joy that held those two together was simply the sum and substance of who they were Together.
This why He gives us kids. And this is why He gives kids their fathers. There is to be among us a growing sense of trust and love and freedom that drives the kids into their Father’s arms – and us into theirs.
Kids need us, and we provide.
Kids need love, and we give it to them.
Kids need relationship, and we usher them into it.
Kids are utterly dependent on us, and we are there for them.
And as they grow to understand that us dads (yes, still being evil) love them profoundly and care for them deeply, they begin to get the slightest glimmer of who G_d is like. And further, as they get to know the heart of the man who is raising them, they get a glimpse into the inner being of their real and heavenly Father. This dynamic is what makes kids into functioning and loving and useful adults.
Can we see it? Even those of us who maybe did not have the dad we hoped for (all dads being, more or less, evil) can look to the One who has the very best Dad ever for a picture on how we can relate to G_d, and then, to our own kids. For in the relationship we see between Jesus and His Abba Father we find only an ocean of Goodness and Strength and Joy and Peace and Purpose and Hope.
We can, like Jesus become utterly convinced that our Father is a very good Dad. We can trust Him. We can rest in His Love. We can know Him like Jesus really does know Him.
Really.
This is very good news.
