When I was a little girl, my father would take me to the playground. I loved swinging in the swings! We would stay there for a while, but eventually the time would come where Dad said we had to go home.
I didn’t want to go home.
My father would play a trick on me – he would hide. When my eyes would scan the playground, I couldn’t see my father anywhere. Panic. I’d starting running in a mad tear towards home.
Then my father would come out of his hiding spot and I would see him. Phew! He was still there. Guess what I would do next? I would run right back to the playground area again!
When I think about this situation in my life, I think about the fact that although we may feel alone, God will never leave us or abandon us. In Hebrews 13:5, we read: Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”
Many people today have been abandoned by their earthly fathers. When they come in contact with a heavenly Father, they experience difficulty because they are afraid that He, too, will leave them. We can be totally assured that God is always with us and He will never leave us. We will never be fatherless. Even if our parents have deserted us, God is always there close by.
Psalm 27:10 is a beautiful verse depicting the heart of Father God – “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close.” This is a great comfort for those who have been rejected by their natural parent(s).
I could chuckle when I think of my actions when I saw my father come out of the hiding spot. I would run right back to the playground again! Aren’t we just like that with God? He wants us to follow Him and we want to go our own way. Thank God He doesn’t give up on us! Just like my father was right there waiting for me, so the Father waits for us.
I can’t help but think about the “Parable of the Lost Son” (Luke 15). This son had wasted his inheritance and realized that he ought to return home to his father’s house. Luke 15:20 says that “while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming”. His father had been waiting and watching for his precious son to come home!
As Christians, we need to understand how loving, gracious, merciful and compassionate our heavenly Father really is!
God bless you!