But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. (Lamentations 3:21-26 ESV)
Sometimes (maybe very often) it seems that life is not going the way we had planned. It seems as if everything is going wrong or has become a challenge. We wonder where God is and after a while we can begin to lose hope. The longer this continues the more our hopelessness turns into desperation. A bleak place to be. Jeremiah was experiencing something similar but at his low point he remembers that the unfailing love of the Father never ends or runs out. It is that memory, at the critical point, which begins to restore his hope. He remembers that the love of God brings new mercies each and every day, that God is a faithful Father. As his hope is rekindled he is once again able to put his trust in God and begin to wait for his salvation to come. Note that his hope does not spur him into action or works but causes him to rest and wait. Too often, when our hope starts to come alive we throw ourselves back into activity. Jeremiah encourages us to wait, to seek him and once again to wait quietly for the Lord. When the joy of our heart has faded away let us seek renewal as we rest in his presence. If you're looking for a Christmas present for friends or family try my Amazon author page for copies of my books: It Changes Everything, A Father to You, Comfort (Booklet), The Depth of Love and Planted in Love. The next Weekly Signpost will be 6th January 2020 - have a great Christmas and New Year. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. (Galatians 4:6-7 NIV) I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:18 NIV) We are often encouraged to be filled with the Spirit (or to go on being filled). We read about the gifts of the Spirit and long to see them operating in the church. It's something we need to see much more! However, the first mention of the Holy Spirit by Paul echoes the words of Jesus. In John 14, Jesus tells us that he will not leave us as orphans but , through the Holy Spirit, he will come to us. The Holy Spirit is the one who takes away the emptiness of our orphan heart. In Galatians and Romans Paul reiterates this as he describes the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Sonship who enables us to cry "Abba, Father". As we are filled with the Spirit something inside of us is awakened to the Fathering of God. The wonderful thing is, it's his Spirit in us that enables us to respond to the Father. Yes, we desperately need the gifts of the Spirit, both individually and corporately. But more than that we need the eyes of our heart to be opened in order that we can begin to see who God really is. As we see him so we begin to see who we really are. When the outpouring of the Holy Spirit began, in Toronto, in 1994 the church there called it the "Father's blessing". They could see the Holy Spirit was revealing that God was not only a Father but he wanted to be a Father to them. Two little words will change your life: God wants to be a Father to YOU. I am pleased to announce the launch of my new book, "It Changes Everything". This book explores the revelation of the Father's love and how, when we live in love, we can truly begin to walk as Jesus walked. I trust it will be a provocation to you to begin a lifelong journey of going deeper into the Father's love. As you do, you will discover that His love really does change everything. The book is available on Amazon and also available in Kindle format. |
Weekly SignpostA Father to YOU is a signpost to the heart of the Perfect Father. When we became Christians we were given the right to become children of God (John 1:12). Sadly, many of us fail to take up that right and instead continue to live as slaves or orphans. But our true destiny is being sons and daughters who have a permanent place in the Father's family. This blog is an encouragement to help you know who God really is and who you really are. Click here to subscribe. |