He Is Still Our Father

Reeling from the fatigue of spending 2 consecutive days driving in a minivan taking the Toothpick back to college, I didn’t really want to get up when I did this morning; but duty beckoned and I eventually succeeded in getting my lazy rear end out of bed. My sluggishness meant that by the time I got down to the kitchen the Lovely Wife had already fixed the Stick-boy’s breakfast (I used to do this all the time, but she does it more often than I do now) and had almost finished fixing his lunch (which I still usually do). The only thing she lacked on his lunch was to fill his juice bottle; and the only reason for that was that she couldn’t get the new one open. Opening a stupid, plastic juice bottle was the only thing that kept me from feeling totally useless this morning. I stayed awake to have my quiet time while the Stick-boy took his shower.

I finished reading through Isaiah this morning, encountering the last few verses of chapter 63 (15-19) that I have read before, but not in the New Living Translation. I found in this passage a prayer of deep longing for God’s presence that exposes a similar need in our lives as well.

15Lord, look down from heaven;
Look from your holy, glorious home, and see us.
Where is the passion and the might
you used to show on our behalf?
Where are the mercy and compassion now?
16Surely you are still our Father!
Even if Abraham and Jacob would disown us,
Lord, you would still be our Father.
You are our Redeemer from ages past.
17Lord, why have you allowed us to turn from your path?
Why have you given us stubborn hearts so we no longer fear you?
Return and help us, for we are your servants,
the tribes that are your special possession.
18How briefly your holy people possessed your holy place,
and now our enemies have destroyed it.
19Sometimes it seems as though we never belonged to you,
as though we had never been known as your people.

Do you catch the passion in the prayer? It’s a confession of our brokenness and poverty before God. We still belong to God because He will not disown us, but the stubbornness of our hearts causes us to experience life as if we didn’t. And those who doubt God’s love and mercy are watching.

That’s enough to think about for now. The peace of Christ to you.