My Redeemer Lives: Father's Day

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Father's Day

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. — Romans 8:15-16

Today is Father´s Day…a day to rejoice and celebrate heroes. That is precisely what Dads are: heroes. In this society where about half of children grow up without a father…men who purposely resolve to BE a Daddy, a Dad, a Father should be commended, supported and encouraged profusely. And I congratulate them and pray that the Holy Spirit will guide them every step of the way. I pray they will become mentors to other men. I pray they will become intentional about following the Way, the Truth and the Life. I pray they can share their testimony to strengthen others who walk alongside their road. I pray there would be more.

I also pray that all children would honor their Fathers as we have been commanded (of course Mothers too, but today I would like to focus on Fathers, right?). It is not easy, but it is necessary. I pray that children who have their Dads with them would delight on his presence for they have received a valuable gift…priceless…unique.

Today I especially pray for the countless children of all ages who do not have their earthly fathers’ presence. The void that a father leaves when he is not there is like no other. There are different ways to lose a father, but his absence feels all the same. Although he wasn’t perfect, I did grow up with the greatest of Fathers, so my sense of loss doesn’t come from abandonment, but from his departure from this world. However, not having my Dad here on earth anymore makes me feel like an orphan.

I remember vividly when I got the call 4 years ago that he was gone. It was as if all of the sudden the floor had been removed from underneath my feet and I was in a perpetual fall into this bottomless pit of darkness and loneliness. Now, looking back, I realize that’s exactly how people who have been abandoned by their fathers feel all along. Every day, since the day their fathers leave them behind the falling begins. The vertigo never truly ends and the balance is never truly recovered until that father comes back into their lives. The tragic thing is that many never do.

How does one ever regain the stability stolen from a child whose father walked away from him or her?

Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.

Psalm 27: 10

I know it may sound simplistic, but it is the only way. God the Father is the Only One who can fill any voids in our hearts, even the one left by an earthly father who has forsaken us. Once we surrender to Him and accept the fact that our needs, longings and deepest desires can only be fully met by Him we will begin to see the silhouette of the promised river of peace in the horizon. Once we resolve to follow Him and believe His Word, we will be able to jump in that river and give our hearts a rest.

We are NOT orphans! Our Abba, Our true Daddy loves us since before He created the world. No one can take that away from us. And though the road is hard and the feeling of abandonment is impossible to bear, we are not alone. Our Heavenly Father gives us His presence and the presence of those whom he places around us in order to give us a hand and help us carry the burden.

I pray that today all the fatherless will find hope and leave behind the despair because,

I remain confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living.

Therefore, let us:

Wait for the Lord;