“He will tend his flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs in His arms; He will carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” Isaiah 40:11
Happy Fathers’ Day!
This verse always reminds me of my Dad. We were a bunch of kids: five boys and two girls. One of my sisters died at an early age, just two years old. The rest of us grew, played, argued, did a lot of really stupid things, and grew some more. We boys all eventually had our own families. There were moments when each one of us made my Dad proud and moments when each one of us hurt him deeply.
I remember the day that I realized that my Dad had the remarkable ability to see into each one of our hearts and know what was really going on. He loved each one of us in a unique way and disciplined us according to each one’s needs.
Like a shepherd who knows each one of his sheep, recognizes each one’s personality, strengths and weaknesses, and tenderly leads them along, so a father does with his children, and so the Lord does with us.
The verse is talking about the Lord Jesus, of course, and that’s the point. A Dad has the unique job of showing his children what God is like. A child’s concept of God is formed to a great extent by his understanding of what it means to be a father, and so as fathers we model and shape in our children’s’ hearts their understanding of God.
My Dad would be the first to tell you he didn’t do that perfectly. None of us do. There are no perfect human fathers; only our Heavenly Father is perfect. But what a gift it is to be a father! What a gift it is to have a father, when so many children don’t!
Lord God, thank You for being a loving Heavenly Father to me. Please, by Your grace, cover the gaps in my imitation of You so that Your glory shines through. Reveal Yourself to my children as the Father who will always love and tenderly care for them. In mercy be with those children who are growing up without a human father. And thank You for the fathers who did that for us. Bless each one of them, Lord! In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
Pastor Dan Giles