The Love of the Father

Romans 8:38-39 - For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I spent the better part of the week at church at an annual Ministers Conference our church has each year. It's open to pastors from anywhere! This year pastors from New York, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Texas and Wisconsin, maybe more, joined us. It's a time of encouraging both for them, the Church and just us regular people!! 

Each year it is amazing. It was especially encouraging this year for me, more than you can know...others were also touched, encouraged and healed. I have had a difficult time, which is not uncommon, feeling the lack of the presence of God and less ability to hear from Him. Bible reading and prayer has been difficult. I have been questioning, seeking and pleading with God for "the old days" when He spoke so much  through His Word. Some might say dry spells shouldn't or can't happen. King David called out in Psalm 13, How long, O Lord, will you hide Your face from me? We can all go through these times, as several of the pastors admitted. 

We are entering a time when we are going to need strength and that strength needs to come from the Father. So we need to know first that His love is unconditional to those who have given their lives to Him and seek Him daily. 

One message after another this week, and even earlier for me, settled in my spirit. Three different pastors or evangelists spoke intertwined messages of God's love. I'm thankful for pastors who can confess dry spells or difficulties. It's through these times the love of God can come through...even if it has to be through someone who is sharing God's Word to His people. As God's people, as His children and the body of His church, we need to come together and encourage and stand behind and beside each other. 

I don't believe I ever thought God didn't love me but not sensing His presence was so hard it felt as though He didn't care anymore. Through this trial my faith has grown, as was expressed in another sermon...that little seed of faith that is all we need. When we feel hopeless in a situation we need to remember how God enters in: through walls, as He did when He confronted Thomas' doubt! He doesn't need a door to go through. He IS the Door! He has gone through more for us than we ever will. Can you comprehend this? It's hard to wrap one's head around this sometimes. He's such a great God.

Some comments are being made on Facebook about the conference. This is my favorite from a mom. It makes me realize again that we all need to come to this loving Father as a child. This Father will always be there when an earthly father could not...when earthly parents or spouses or anyone else could not. 

Yesterday evening was awesome... Was so thrilled that my twins and son got to sit in the service the whole time. Very good message of what I got to hear, had me tearing up in the nursery where I stayed with my granddaughter. ... My heart was overjoyed. At the end the Pastor started singing Jesus Loves Me and while I was in the nursery everything got quieter and my granddaughter stopped and paused to listen. That was awesome. [My husband] told me that our son was singing away to it. He even had his eyes closed singing! During one of the worship songs [one of our daughters] broke out crying. She told me she sensed the Lord. [My husband] said [our other daughter] broke out crying on one of the days I wasn't there and also was lifting her hands praising the Lord! And the crying has nothing to do with sadness! ... Brothers and sisters, you know! I love hearing that my kids can sense and know that the Lord is amongst them! [We] sensed His presence also during the meetings. God is Good! God just showed up! ️️️ We serve an Amazing God! 

Some might claim this was a hyped up emotion. It was not. I've heard over and over how the love of God, the love of His people and His presence is within our church. We are a worshipful bunch. We worship in Spirit and in Truth. One of the participating evangelists, now a good friend of our pastor, admitted that if he ever felt God was ending his ministry and if the Lord allowed, he would be quite happy to move to Milwaukee and sit under the teaching of our pastor. That is quite the compliment. It's why I keep saying I love my church. 

I can't begin to express the love of God! It is eternal, as was spoken last night. While God loves all mankind and wishes that none would perish, if we choose to reject God altogether and live without Him in our lives, a day will come when He has to reject us. That would be eternal life without God, without heaven. Our loving and following Him secures His love for us. It has to be that way. It has to. If we have chosen Him we are His children and this Father will not abandon His children, unless they abandon Him. Earthly fathers can't do this; nor can mothers or spouses or friends. Only God can love unconditionally. Sometimes that's the stumbling block that keeps us from our Heavenly Father. I know...been there...if a parent can find fault in a child, faults that never quit, how can we trust a Heavenly Father? Well, we can! We just can. 

One visiting evangelist preached a sermon about a month ago that I have listened to over and over every time I get in my car. Over and over!! Last night the message that ended the conference brought up the very same things, even some of the same scriptures about the love of God and His thoughts toward us, which are good. These pastors aren't in the same church or the same state. All I can say is hallelujah! It was confirmation and solidified my faith, love and security in Christ. This will be one of those milestones we have as a reminder of what He has done. We were reminded in another sermon to go back to those times.

Father God, thank You for all You do, all who You are for those who know and love You, and to those who will some day know You. 

Psalm 139:1-4,16-17 - O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!

Inscribed!

Isaiah‬ ‭49:16‬ ‭- See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are continually before Me.

The first time I heard someone talk about this I was undone! I realized to what extent our God loves us. 

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If we are God's children, He says He will never leave us nor forsake us. He knows the hairs on our head. He formed us in our mothers' wombs. He is in the details of all our lives whether we know or believe it or not. Why? Because we are His creation. 

Know that the LORD, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. (Psalm 100:3‬)

The Good Shepherd. It takes me to the verses about His sheep and how if just one were lost, He'd leave the others behind to search for it. He searched for me until He found me. I was that lost sheep. Perhaps you are a lost sheep also that He is searching for. 

I acknowledge that He is my Creator. I thank Him for who He is. I am thankful I was able to respond to His call to come to Him when I was sorely lost. I am thankful for the life He has since given me and for His protection over me through salvation in His Son Jesus. Not even my death will result in death, but life. 

Although He watches over us, we are never promised to be without troubling incidents in life. But if we keep our eyes focused on Him, we can realize, when all is said and done, that He had us inscribed in the palms of His hands!

I try to imagine being inscribed or engraved in that palm. That means He is gripping tightly. Even more amazing, I'm not the only one He firmly holds, though it seems as though it's just me.

This is our awesome God! He can be so personal to each one of us (if we want Him to) but He cares equally for all. His love is 
unconditional. He loves us with an everlasting love even if we do not return the sentiment.  I wonder how He feels when we do not want to know that love?

Are you engraved in the palms of His hands? It's the best place to be. We can grow in faith that He will be our comforter and protector in times of trouble. His grip on us is tight. He is our shelter in the storm.

He waits for unbelievers to hear His call. He is ever present; look out the window at the expanse of the skies, the multitude of the stars, the brightness of the sun, a brilliant sunset, the power of a thunderstorm, the great number of trees, flowers and water, the seasons. He is in the brilliance of of them all. He is in the details. 

Isaiah‬ ‭49:13‬ ‭- Sing, O heavens! Be joyful, O earth! And break out in singing, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted His people, and will have mercy on His 
afflicted.

The World Has Not Known You

John 17:24-26 

Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.


Jesus finished His prayer to His Father for His disciples and for the world. He desires...that we see His glory.

I say it over and over. It's all about Jesus. It's all about God, the Father. Jesus shows it's all about His Father: they, whom You gave Me; My glory which You gave Me; the love You have for Me...the love which I have shown them...it is Your love.

An email discussion I had with a woman recently showed me something. She wanted my opinion on an email she wanted to send out. She asked if she should drop it or send it. Clearly she was angry about a situation. I know that anger...I've had it myself. It comes from being hurt by someone. Thankfully that doesn't happen often, rarely, these days. But how we want to cling to unforgiveness sometimes. (I suggested she drop it! She did.)

Our pride can get hurt. Pride is the root, I believe, of all sin. If we know the Lord, it is our responsibility to love as Jesus loved. Wives are called to submit to their husbands, as to the Lord. Husbands are called to love their wives as Christ loved the church. (Ephesians 5)  We are to love our neighbor and our enemy. We do it without expecting anything in return. Jesus loved His Father no matter what...even knowing what death He would face. He loved His disciples, followers and the sinners. We can only love unconditionally through Christ. Yeah, it's still a struggle sometimes because we have this tarnished, blackened heart.

Why is there so much hatred in this world? Why is there even so much disunity politically? Because the love of Christ is not there. It's all about Jesus! If we all agreed with the Word of God, believed what it says, lived it out, this would be a better world. But it starts with knowing Jesus. A better world is a utopian idea. Utopia will only come to those in Christ after He returns to reign on earth with believers, His people...and then in heaven where all injustice will be gone: He will swallow up death forever. And the LORD GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; for the LORD has spoken. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. (Isaiah 25:8, Revelation 21:4) A promise from both Old and New Testaments.

Jesus' mission was to reveal Himself to us. He started with twelve average men and some countless others along the way. Eleven of those men and a few more revealed to others, who revealed to others, who revealed to others...who eventually revealed to me...and I hope I to you.

Are we made perfect on this earth? No. We still struggle with sin. But we are covered by the blood of Jesus and His love sustains us, if we submit to Him. As He does, so we are to do. A lesson to be learned!

But the world in general does not know Him. They do not know His peace. They do not know His love, nor His wisdom and power, nor they way He works. They will live in discord until they do. They will have burdens they cannot release without Him. There will be disunity. Jesus says: Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am... I pray that anyone who needs to be counted as a part of they whom You gave Me would submit to God. Submit to receive His love, see His glory in their lives and then turn around and do the same for others. 

John 14:27 - peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to You. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

I've Got You Covered

Genesis 3:21 - Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. 

Last Sunday Bob and Audrey Meisner spoke at our church. Their story of betrayal, anger, forgiveness and reconciliation impacted many, as I've learned by the talk among several within our church this week, not necessarily for the same reason as revealed in their story. Somehow it reached deep into our souls to our own story, whatever it might be. I am still thinking about it; it has had a profound effect on me. To that I praise God because there is something going on. I love that He loves enough to do that.

Audrey had betrayed her husband by succumbing to the advances of a younger, attentive man staying in their home. It was short lived because she knew she had made a huge mistake, this just wasn't her. The dilemma facing her was enormous. She had to tell Bob...and he had to respond. To make matters worse, they found out she was pregnant and knew it wasn't Bob's. They told us it was no easy road to reconciling their marriage. But I won't go into that. Just trust that it was all about God's work in both lives.

One other thing, however, that spoke volumes and culminated in tears was Bob's explanation of a covering. There are many references to coverings in the Bible and many point to Jesus.

As I see it, the first covering between God and man mentioned was after Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden. Remember they had sinned and they saw themselves naked and were ashamed and they covered themselves with fig leaves. But God took it one step further and clothed them with what was the first blood sacrifice...skins to cover their nakedness. He covered them from their sin and shame.

The next covering was part of the first tabernacle in the Old Testament. God was directing Moses in this project. Israel was being led out of captivity, in the desert. A tabernacle was a portable tent where worship of God took place. You shall also make a covering of ram skins dyed red for the tent, and a covering of badger skins above that (Exodus 26:14).  The Old Testament was a sign of what was to come and the covering in this tabernacle...the Lord Jesus Christ.

The covering of rams skins dyed red. The word cover is defined as to cover, conceal, hide, and a root word meaning to become sated. Whew. This is a picture of Jesus as our covering. When we are covered by the blood of Jesus, our Sacrifice, our sins removed, we are now clothed in His righteousness, He hides us in the cleft of His rock, within the palm of His hand, within He Who is the Tower we run into to be saved. We have entered into His ark, like Noah and his family. We are hidden by the power of an Almighty God.

Oh, that we would understand this more fully. And about becoming sated: I see this as having the fullness of Christ in our lives. He has forgiven all of our sins. It's all about Him! What He has done for all people and what we can have if we want it bad enough.

More on the covering...more personal. This may be another controversial subject!! It will fly in the face of feminism for sure. But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man. For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head... Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord (1Corinthians 11:3,9-11). In the Lord...He is our covering. This is not suggesting that women are inferior to men. Scripture clearly states we are not independent of each other. But man is to be covered by God, a woman covered by her husband, in the Lord. Both under God's covering of protection, wisdom, love.

Here are more references to covering, being covered, to cover: 
My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and You cover my iniquity. (Job 14:17)
Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered...(Romans 4:7)
Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins. (Proverbs 10:12)
For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. (Psalm 139:13)
He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. (Psalm 91:4)

Jesus paid the price for all mankind. When we know this Jesus, His love and forgiveness covers our sins and He covers us to protect us. We are told that before we were even formed He knew us...He formed us and covered us in the womb...then He tries to make it known to us of He Who forgives and He beckons us even today that we might be covered by Him. This is incredible.

As Bob explained to his children when it came time to tell them about what had happened, he took the comforter off their bed and put it over Audrey's head and body. He wrapped his arm around her. He said to his children: this is what God does to us when we make a mistake. He comes to us and covers us, He wraps His arms around us and says I will never leave you or forsake you. Bob not only had forgiven his wife of her transgression, but he received that child as though it were his own, unconditionally. He humbled himself; he was Christ-like in his actions. He was encouraging his family that He would not leave her. He claimed his son as a Divine gift, not an accident but born out of the very heart of God, despite the way.

This earth is covered in darkness and sin but as long as we have received Christ as our Savior, He is our covering, we need not fear in this life because we know that He will never leave us, we are here in this life temporarily, and that upon death we are in heaven with He Who has covered us. We also need to take the love God has offered to is and do the same. Reconciliation, forgiveness and love. Bob's example should also be ours.

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness... For You, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods. (Isaiah 61:10, Psalm 97:9)