Father… Father Me.

Since you are God’s children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, and the Spirit cries out, “Father.” Galatians 4:6 NCV

This was the cry of my heart to my heavenly Father, as my earthly father was slowly losing his battle with cancer,

“Father… Father me.”

Years before, Brian Doerksen had released an album called, “Father’s House.”

Recently, in the midst of all this uncertainty and fear, the words to one of his songs (a prayer really) have come floating back to me.

Surely this is the cry of our heart’s this Easter…

“Father, … Father me.”

With the fear swirling all around us–and for so many being plunged into new grief–don’t we all want to run to Someone, who is bigger than anything on this planet?

Someone who knows the future… and knows the way forward.

He says in His Word that He is near the brokenhearted. [Psalms 34:18]

He reminds us that we are not alone. [Deuteronomy 31:6]

He assures us–He is the way. [John 14:6]

I am a follower…

Pastor Jim Cymbala, of the Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York, writes a wonderful blog–and I am a follower.

He has generously given me his permission to share this recent blog post.

A Promise for the Brokenhearted – Part 2

“… and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18b)

God is close to the brokenhearted—to those who are discouraged and down and out.  Moreover, the Bible tells us that God saves those whose spirit is crushed.  These are the folks who are at the bottom.  They can’t even try to be hopeful about their situation or muster up a possible solution to their dilemma.  They’ve been left with nothing; at least, that’s how they feel.

The Lord delivers those who find themselves in that kind of despair.  They may feel they have zero to offer, but God doesn’t need anything in order to make something beautiful out of their seemingly hopeless situation.  Any inventor or artist or skillful person needs something to work with.  Artists need paint and a canvas.  Athletes need a field or an arena to display their skills.  But God, the Creator, doesn’t need any help.

With all of the advances in astronomy, including the availability of high-powered telescopes, astronomers still can’t count all the stars in the universe.  In fact, they’re discovering new galaxies all the time. How amazing it is that God created all of those stars out of nothing!  It says in the New Testament book of Hebrews that “by faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible” (Hebrews 11:3).  The Lord spoke it into being!  And this is the very same God who wants to speak peace into your situation today.

So take heart, you who are crushed in spirit.  You may be at your lowest point and feel you have nothing left.  God can just speak a word and turn your situation around.  But you have to trust him.  You can’t feel sorry for yourself or see yourself as a victim. No, Scripture tells us that “God works for those who wait for him” (Isaiah 64:4).

Let’s pray: “Father, we thank you for your Word today, reminding us that you can take nothing and make it into something beautiful.  You promised to supply the needs of your people.  We’re so grateful that you are not a God who is aloof, but that you’re close to the brokenhearted.  We bring our pain, we bring our apprehension, we bring our anxieties. Make us strong so that we don’t have to be worried about what tomorrow may bring.  When we wake up each morning, we want to be reminded that it is the day that you have made; and that you are going to get us through it by your grace.’”

Read Psalm 34:18-22.