A Glimpse into the Father's Heart...

Acts 17:24-31 (Click on reference to read text)

As Father's day approaches, I have found myself continually seeking my Heavenly Father's face. As my heart longs to mourn the death of my earthly Daddy, my spirit has been grasping to the heart of my Heavenly Daddy. As I have been seeking His face, He has reminded me of who He is.

My God, my Heavenly Father, is not far off and unapproachable. Paul describes Him in verse 24 as the "God who made the world and all things in it, since He is the Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands." He is with me always (Ps 73:23-28). He will never leave me nor forsake me (Hebrews 13:5). God actually desires to be with us so much, that we are His temple... He, the God of the universe chooses to dwell within us! (1 Cor 6:19) Paul later writes in Hebrews that we are to approach God's throne with confidence (Hebrews 4:16). When Jesus died on the cross, He became our intercessor, the veil was torn in two and we have full access to the throne of God (Mark 15:38, Hebrews 4:14-16).

Second, we are reminded that God gives us all we need and He chose us! He is the one who gives us breath and life and all things (vs. 25). Ephesians 1:3-5 teaches us that God chose us before the foundation of the world, to be adopted as His children because He wanted to, and it gave Him great pleasure! God loved us before we loved Him (1 John 4:10). We know that He has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). God, our Heavenly Father, wants us! He chose us! He desires us!

Third, we see that God is in control. This truth is sometimes hard to believe when we look at the world around us and just see chaos. However, we have to choose to believe that God is in fact working out everything to accomplish His purposes. We are constantly reminded of God's sovereignty in Scripture: God appoints the time for people to live and the exact place where they should live (vs. 26), God sets up and disposes of kingdoms and changes times and seasons (Daniel 2:20-21), all of our days have been ordained before one of them came to be (Ps 139:16), and these are just a few examples. Our Heavenly Father is sovereign, He is the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7), He has always been on the throne and He always will be on the throne. I can rest that my Heavenly Father is watching over me and my security can be found in Him.

Finally, in this passage, we are reminded that God draws us to Him (vs. 27). If we come near to God, He will come near to us (James 4:8). He desires for all nations and all people to come into His presence and be His child (2 Peter 3:9). I think that often times when we feel far away from God, it is because we are the one that moved. I want to remind you of a parable that Jesus told. Luke 15 talks of the prodigal son that practically robbed his father and disowned him. When he was in despair, he came crawling back to his father just asking to be a servant, never believing the father would want to call him son. Instead of denying the child's son ship, he threw a party and threw his arms around his son welcoming him home. Max Lucado says it so well, "Though the boy is willing to stop being a son, the father is not willing to stop being a father" (The Great House of God). What was the point of this story? God is not willing to stop being our Father. He draws us to Him and gives us rest. He offers forgiveness and promises to remember our sins no more (Ps 103). Don't let Satan convince you to stay away, God is welcoming you with open arms.

You see, these simple truths are a reminder of things I already knew. My Heavenly Father loves me, He chooses me, He is near, and He draws me to Him when I wander away. You know what? He is all of those things to you too. If on this Father's day you too find yourself without a Dad to celebrate, choose to celebrate our precious Heavenly Father. I know He is choosing to spend that day with you, and me, too.