"Holding Daddy"
Deuteronomy 30:19-20
October 27, 2008
I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.
I am amazed at just how much a little boy can teach me about my relationship with the Lord. My son, Thomas (if you haven't heard about him, just ask me) has no ability to talk, but each day he teaches me something new about how I should be towards my Lord. This week he taught me about holding onto daddy.
Thomas doesn't always stay on the same sleep schedules that his mamma and I do. Last Thursday night, Thomas decided that he wanted to be awake at 1:00 AM. I heard him kicking and grunting, so I stepped over to his crib to check on him. He has an uncanny knack of subconsciously knowing when his pacifier falls out of his mouth, even when he’s asleep. All it takes is an effort to put it back in, but when you’ve done it seven or eight times already that night…you get the picture. Lord, thank you for teaching me patience and humility through the life of my child. I went back to his bedside to give him his “passie” one more time.
Thomas’ eyes met mine and a big toothless grin split his face. I tried reasoning with him: "Son, you've got to go to sleep." He'd get serious for a moment, listening intently to my voice, and then go back to smiling. So I had another bright idea. I took his little hand in mine and I began to pray. Praying has a tremendous ability to put me to sleep (don't ya'll act like that's not the case with you too). I kissed Thomas on the forehead and started to walk off, but that little boy had a grip on my finger that said he wanted nothing more than to keep his daddy right there. And then he flashed that smile again. What else could I do but sit and enjoy?
Thomas knew inherently about me what I struggle to remember everyday about my Lord. He knew that he loved his daddy and never wanted to let him go. He knew that he enjoyed his presence and it brought joy to his life just to spend time with him. That'll preach, won't it? That is exactly the way that I ought to feel about my Father in heaven. I ought to be holding to His hand, cleaving to Him with all of my strength, all the time. I ought to enjoy His presence in my life and see it not as an avenue of discomfort or inconvenience, but a special privilege afforded to me by the blood of Christ. The most natural thing in my life ought to be holding onto His finger and never letting go. Thomas taught me that.
Thomas also taught me that time with daddy is far better than any pacifier he might get. The pacifier serves a temporary fix, pacifying his desires for only a moment. But those moments are fleeting and pacifiers will never give him the satisfaction that he truly needs. Isn’t that the way we are prone to live our lives? I have many pacifiers in my life: reading, family, church, money, movies (my wife doesn’t understand my DVD addiction), but there is nothing that can satisfy the internal cravings of my soul but a relationship with my heavenly Father. Inherently we all know this; you were designed with a need for God, a keyhole in your soul that is God-shaped. Nothing can fill the emptiness, nothing can satisfy your supernatural cravings like time spent with your Father in heaven. How sad it is when we forfeit our eternal glory for the temporal pacifiers of this world. That little, plastic pacifier was nothing compared to daddy. What wondrous wisdom contained in the heart of an infant!
And here’s something else that Thomas taught me. He has let me experience the heart of a father. Looking over the side of his crib at his smiling face, I realized something: I could have stayed there forever. The frustration, weariness, and sadness that I had in my life melted away just seeing my child looking at me with that smile and knowing that he trusted and loved me enough to hold my hand. My heart was as big in my chest as it has ever been. I wonder if that takes place in God's heart too. Do you think he enjoys feeling those little touches upon His hands? All fathers do…or should, and God is the author of real fatherhood. God desires a relationship with you. He is depicted by Jesus as the shepherd that seeks out the one small lost sheep from among the fold. You are the desire of His heart; you are always on His mind. His love for you endures the sleepless nights, the selfish cries, and all the pacifiers. He waits patiently for that precious moment when you and I will each hold to His hand and never let go. He longs with the heart of a perfect Father to have us cling to Him forever. Jesus went to the cross just to give you that opportunity.
But there is a choice that must be made in each of our lives. It was not an involuntary reaction that caused Thomas’ hand to close around my finger. He chose to hold me. We must choose to hold to God. I detest a system that removes all personal responsibility from humans. We ARE responsible for the choices that we make, whether good or bad. God does not choose only a few and equip them to be able to hold His hand. Instead He places His hands in reach of all of us, desiring that each would hold onto Him. But we must make the choice to raise our feeble hands to meet His. It is our decision to hold to His hand. Always has been and always will be.
So I encourage you, reader, to hold onto God. Hold on and do not let go. Look upon His tender face with the love of a child to its earthly father. Experience the love and pride He has in you. Cling to Him through both good and bad. Hold your Father with all the strength your feeble hands can muster; don't ever let go. May the Lord continue to minister to His people through the deeds of children.
Here at New Home Free Will Baptist Church, we want an opportunity to share the love of Jesus Christ with you. We hope that you will consider making our church home your church home. If we may be of any help to you, if you need someone to pray with you or visit you, if we can minister to you in any way, please grant us that opportunity. You may come visit, call, or email. We'll be honored to hear from you. Let us hold the hand of our Lord together!