Faithfulness of the Father
Paul wrote Galatians for the express
purpose of instructing believers in the difference between Law and
Grace and the inability to mix them. The believer in Jesus is DEAD to
the Law and ALIVE unto Christ. In Chapter 3, he made this sweeping
statement: “For ye are
all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (3:26).
The fact that believers in Jesus are the children of God makes God our
spiritual Father.
John said it like this: “Behold [pay attention, don’t
miss this marvelous truth], what manner of love the Father hath
bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God”
(1 John 3:1). God becomes our Father at the moment we believe in Jesus
and are born again. From that moment forward, he NEVER ceases to be a
Father unto us, ALWAYS dealing with us in fatherly fashion, whether in
the blessings of fellowship or in the chastening of rebuke and
correction!
There is perhaps no greater testimony
to God’s faithfulness as a Father than the Wilderness Wanderings of
Israel after they balked in unbelief at the opportunity to take the
Promised Land. For forty years they camped at various locations in the
Sinai wilderness. The Father protected them from EVERY foe
except death by natural causes for those who were above age 20 at the time of
faith failure.
In many ways the wanderings were a
logistical nightmare. But EVERY day the Father flew in millions of
quail (protein source) and rained down manna (bread source). It was, to
be sure, a BARE-BONES diet; nevertheless, it was a LIFE-SUSTAINING
diet.
For forty years the Father preserved
the sandals on their feet. It was essentially a ‘No Wear-and-Tear’
policy. For forty years, those age 20 and under were eyewitnesses to
his faithfulness, and grew up watching Moses enter the Tabernacle daily
with God’s glory hovering overhead. By the time the forty years expired
and death by attrition had run its course, a new generation, schooled
in the faithfulness of the Father, was ready to follow Joshua into
battle to POSSESS that which the Father had PROMISED.
The Father who NEVER ceased to be a
Father to Israel is the same Father who has birthed us through faith in
his Son, the Lord Jesus. He has faithful sons as well as prodigal sons.
But he is a faithful Father to them all.
In 1882, the Scottish minister George
Matheson wrote these lyrics: “Oh love that will not let me go, I rest
my weary soul in thee, I give thee back the life I owe, that in thine
ocean depths its flow may richer, fuller be.” If you are a believer in
Jesus, take a moment today to offer to your heavenly Father a
heart-felt “Thanks!” for his enduring faithfulness!
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