Many Names but still Father…

In my mind, my dad has only one title — dad or father. I’d never call him ‘the old man’ or by any other term, derogatory or affectionately. However, today’s devotional asks: But what about the other names of God; do they not convey other and more terrifying ideas?

Yesterday it mentioned three: judge, king, and lawgiver. I cannot remember my father every judging me, putting me in a rare group. He evaluated things, but never made me feel as if I was under his scrutiny.
Of course my heavenly Father is a judge, yet in judging me He finds me totally wanting. As with everyone else, I fall short of the glory of God, missing the mark and having no merit or legal right to stand before Him. Yet all is not lost.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:17–21)

This is an incredible reality. God judged me, found me guilty, put my guilt on Christ trading it for His righteousness that I might be justified. No guilt. No condemnation. This is the love and grace of my Father the Judge.

He is also my King. That is, He rules over me. My life is not my own. Yet He is not a despot king nor one who rules with an iron fist. He rules the universe yet somehow governs it so all things are for me, not against me.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:28–29)

How does God do that? We often say in our church, “Only God” for we know the power of this King who is also our Father.

As for Lawgiver, I remember this word by Watchman Nee. He said, “The Lawgiver on the throne has become the Law-keeper in our hearts.” Again, this is the mighty love of my Heavenly Father. He does for me what I could never do apart from Him.

As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. (Psalm 103:13)

I’m to always think of Him as my Heavenly Father. All He does is what a good, good Father would do. Christ declares Him that I might know God’s love and never have any anxious or rebellious thoughts. The NT puts it this way:

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31–39)

PRAY: Jesus, You took my sin and shame that I might know the wonder of being loved by God. Indeed, what can I say to these things! All that I have needed, You have provided. How wonderful is Your love for me.

Compassion for my fears

Nothing about my childhood ever made me afraid to go to sleep at night. My parents did not tease me with bogeyman stories or anything spooky or frightening. They must have been reassuring about other things for I don’t remember ever being severely frightened or even very anxious. Other than not liking the dentist very much (not my parents fault), I would try almost anything, including getting on those crazy horses that no one else would go near.

As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. (Psalm 103:13)

In the last of this series about God’s compassion, Spurgeon says that kind fathers who see that their children are afraid will do whatever they can to remove that fear because of compassion for their little ones. This is a small reflection of God’s concern that His children are not afraid.

My Bible has 33 places where it says “do not fear” and 37 for “do not be afraid.” A book I just read says there are at least 365 total places where God encourages His people to have no fear.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)

This tells me that fear is a faithless, weak, unloving and uncontrolled reaction on my part. It is also fueled by lies from my spiritual enemy who does not want me to trust God, be strong, love others and have a sound and self-controlled mind.

God has nothing to do with fear. It is not His idea, and when I struggle with it, I am in a spiritual battle. Fear indicates that my focus is not on the power and promises of God but on myself and my shortcomings. Since love is caring about others, fear drives love out too. God’s word contains many commands, but this one is repeated more often than any other; do not fear. Fear is the opposite of trust and faith, the opposite of power and victory. It makes love and sound thinking impossible. I cannot obey God and be fearful at the same time.

The problem with the command is that it sounds too much like “Don’t worry, be happy” as if worry and happiness are like faucets that can be turned off and on at will. This sort of determination does not work with fear either. The song says, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You ….” The question is: how can anyone move from being afraid of something or someone to a sound mind filled with confidence in God?

The psalmist said that the Lord shows compassion to those who fear Him. Interesting. The God who tells me over and over to not be afraid also tells me to fear Him. Of course, the words are different. Mostly, “fear” is from the same root word as phobia. It is about terror, like the way I would feel if I opened the door and a ferocious lion walked into my house. Fear of God is from another word that means awe, reverence, similar to the emotion felt when looking at a giant crater or an enormous waterfall.

Fearing God carries with it the idea that no matter what else can make me afraid, God is bigger, better, more, or whatever He needs to be to overcome or overwhelm that fearful thing that threatens me. He can stop lions in their tracks (He did it for Daniel) and can take care of anything else that seems formidable or dangerous. Nothing is too difficult for Him.

His compassion means that when I am afraid, I can trust in Him to deal with the fears. He will either remove the emotion and give me confidence in Him, even boldness so I can move forward and overcome it, or He will remove whatever it is that is making me afraid.

A multitude of examples come to mind, but the ultimate fear (despite the reports about public speaking) is death. However, trusting God means believing what His Word says: that Jesus lived to share the human experience of life with all its trauma and trials, then died and was buried, then defeated that final enemy and rose from the tomb. Knowing that happened changes the way I feel about dying.

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. (Hebrews 2:14–15)

Because Jesus conquered death, what is there to fear? Because He has great compassion for those who fear Him, I can lay all my fears at His feet and let Him decide what is the best way to deal with them. As He does that, He also changes my phobias and gives me power, even boldness instead of weakness. His Spirit turns my focus to others so I can love them with a stable soundness of mind. Those fears are swallowed up by His grace to the point that I cannot remember what they were.

Because in His great compassion my Father can do all that, I stand in awe of Him.

Compassion for loneliness and pain

My Internet browser gives a few headlines each morning. Today it linked to pictures of huge icicles in the city where my husband is working this week. As I looked at the pictures, a wave of loneliness washed over me. He has been flying to that place for 3-4 days a week, every week this year but one.

I am usually okay with being by myself, but after two months of this, it is getting stale. Then I read today’s devotional and the timing is perfect.

As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. (Psalm 103:13)

Spurgeon says that God has compassion on our pain and loneliness. If my heart is breaking over anything, including  my transgressions, my Father longs to heal me, just as a parent longs to ease the pain of their child. As the reading says, God has reasons for allowing any sort of suffering and will use it for my good and His glory. Yet in the process, He feels compassion for me.

I tend to rate low on the compassion scale, but notice changes as I experience God’s compassion, more easily weeping for those who hurt and feeling tenderness instead of annoyance at those who sin. Even so, some forms of suffering do not awaken sympathy in me, yet for God, any suffering in His family touches His heart.

Being alone is tolerable, yet for some, it is terrible. Yet Jesus knows that too. Before He was crucified, He said to His disciples,

Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. (John 16:32)

The apostle Paul said the same thing as he awaited execution in Rome. He wrote how his enemies opposed him in and even his friends were not there with him, but he was not alone.

At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. (2 Timothy 4:16–17)

In what is called the Great Commission, Jesus told His disciples their life mission, but He also made a promise…

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18–20)

Christians are often without human companionship as we struggle with all kinds of sorrows. Jesus knew that we would feel abandoned at times and be lonely. Yet in His great compassion, He thought of a practical solution; regardless of our situation, none of His children are ever alone.

Afraid of falling?

About ten years ago during a few months, stairs terrified me. For some reason, I became fearful of falling. Once I stepped from the fourth step from the bottom into air and crashed. Then I recognized that I was trying to take longer steps than necessary. How strange. After a few weeks of being deliberate with each step, the problem was resolved. However, I am still careful on stairs (icy walkways too).

Today, Spurgeon points out that God’s compassion on His children includes picking us up when we fall.

As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. (Psalm 103:13)

Falling could refer to a spiritual misstep, but also can be about physical plunges. When Jesus was tempted by the devil, one temptation included a suggestion that covered both risks.

Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” (Matthew 4:5–6)

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (Matthew 4:7) From this I learn that the promises to guard or rescue me from falling are for those times it just happens, not when I deliberately choose to do something foolish. Several of these promises are in the Psalms.

 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright. (Psalm 20:7–8)

Those who trust their own might or the might of others eventually collapse and fall. Only the Lord God is able to stand against anything, including time and diminished capacities. His strength endures forever.

The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand. (Psalm 37:23–24)

I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me. (Psalm 118:13)

The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. (Psalm 145:14)

He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. (Psalm 145:19)

God guides my steps and delights in taking me where He wants me to go. That way might include a crash or two, but when I go down and cry out to Him, I discover that He is with me and holding my hand. Without the experience of a fall, I would not know what it is to be rescued and raised up by the Fatherly care of God. I could not testify to His amazing grace and tender-hearted concern for everything from the tiniest slip to the most colossal crash. For this, I am grateful!

I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to you. For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life. (Psalm 56:12–13)

Will I ever grow up?

Online puzzles can be addicting. (I will not put in the link). The pictures are beautiful and there is nothing wrong with doing one or two puzzles, but doing one after the other until long after bedtime and being tired and not able to function well the next day reveals my childish inability to think about consequences.

Pointing to the same verse that I’ve read all week, the devotional reading says that, “In children there is something worse than ignorance and weakness, and that is their childish follies. A father and mother will put up with a thousand little ways in their children that strangers would frown at. There are all sorts of excuses made on their behalf, and it is right enough that it should be so. It is not weakness in children, it is just childishness. And so parents bear with their children.”

How true. I remember thinking my children were being cute with antics that I later wish I had not encouraged. I’ve watched parents laugh at behavior I might want to reward with a spanking. Our little ones are so precious in our eyes that we put up with far more than others would if they were tending them. So it is with God.

As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. (Psalm 103:13)

However, in my black and white ways, others might see immaturity and I label it as rebellion, then turn around and miss it or excuse it in myself. I can be like a little child who thinks he owns the playground. I forget that even all my rules also apply to me.

In childish displays of thinking I know everything, those thoughts display how little I know. In childish pride, I think I am pleasing God, but in that smugness am totally displeasing Him. I turn around and evaluate the behavior of others with the certainty that God is not pleased with them, and fail to realize that my judgmental attitude is His first concern.

Spurgeon writes about childishness in terms of acting in ignorance, even acting without thinking or forgetting what I am supposed to do, like a child who does not know better, or is impulsive, or has been told but has not yet cemented that command in her memory. I am like that. My Father puts up with a lot of silliness.

Sometimes I also forget that He loves me with an everlasting, unconditional love. Sometimes I act without thinking about what He has taught me, or do things that I’ve said I’ll never do again, but wind up repeated them in a thoughtless and impulsive way.

I even forget about my Father’s compassion and then beat myself up for being such an idiot. I forget His great compassion demonstrated by His Son when He prayed for his murderers — “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

Jesus is like the Father who does the same with us; He forgives because we do not know what we do. We are like sheep and like children, sometimes willy-nilly without any sound judgment about anything.

Yet He has compassion. Jesus showed it toward Pilate when the man condemned Him to die. He said, “The one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin” (John 19:11). Pilate was guilty of great sin, but Jesus told him that there was a greater sin; it was the best he could say for Pilate, and a display of God’s compassion.

If my God has such kind thoughts ready for His adversaries, I can be certain that He has them ready for me, His child. Whether my behavior is sinful and wayward, or merely immature and unthinking, He has compassion on me. He does not laugh and certainly does not encourage my silliness, but sometimes I hear a sigh, and now and then I hear Him chuckling.