At CGA we have been talking a lot about viewing God as a father lately. Jesus prayed to the Father and taught his disciples to do the same (Matt. 6). Jesus only did what he saw his Father doing (John 5:19).
This concept is not novel, but I’ve realized that while my mind knew all this, my heart is still learning some things about it.
A couple days ago, I went with my friend to her gym. I was on the elliptical, and I was asking God if there was anything he would like to say to anyone. A girl got on the elliptical next to me, and she didn’t have headphones on (which is not typical.) While praying, I brought up her parents. I thought, well I don’t know why I would pray about that. So I casually started a conversation about her haircut. Not sure how to transition to her mom and dad, I just let some silence pass. I said, “Can I ask you a question?” She was nice enough to agree. “Do you need prayer for someone in your family?” And she said that her dad’s medical procedure coming up was actually really weighing on her. So we prayed about it. It was great to make a friend in a different sort of way and be able to partner with God in providing some comfort. He does speak to us, and he cares a lot about us and even sends people to say things.
This was a great experience, but afterward I started to question what I had done. I didn’t have the faith to ask exactly what he said to ask, which was “How is your mom and dad?” I asked about her family because implicitly I believed it would increase my odds that she probably had someone in her family who needed prayer. I didn’t trust him completely. It reminds me of when Moses struck the rock instead of just speaking to it as God told him to. What I did worked, just like the rock still sprung out water, but I didn’t trust him completely enough to obey!
I see that now, but the awesome thing I’ve learned about it is that God isn’t the coach I’ve sometimes thought him to be, giving me precise instructions that I have to be clever enough to decipher. He’s a father and wants me to learn to listen and obey him, but he loves me when I succeed, try and fail, or even if I don’t even try. He’s proud of me as a daughter and he doesn’t actually need me to do stuff. News flash: I’m not Moses. I’m not denied from the promise (no offense to him.) I’m covered by and redeemed by the blood of Jesus. I’m not a servant but a daughter.
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