"The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes and in the wilderness where you have seen how the LORD your God carried you as a father carries his son, all the way that you went, until you came to this place” (Deuteronomy 1:30-31)
Memories bring such profound images in our minds as a picture that can portray a thousand words....and at times my heart is so full with so many and so much to share I can hardly find the words to pen as I desire to continue to share with so many the faithfulness of our Lord.
The Bible allows us to peer through the lens of God and as we read it we are given glorious pictures into the heart of our loving Father. Moses’ description of God in Deuteronomy gives us an imagery of our Heavenly Father as a loving parent carrying us as a father carries his son, and carrying his son "all the way, until you came to this place." To the place of Promise. Such a beautiful promise...how our Heavenly Father is there, He is always with us, to carry us, watch over us and to see us through. We see our Heavenly Father as a most tender and loving parent. God not only appeared at the Red Sea to defend His people but He also was with them in the wilderness where they had seen Jehovah God 'bore them as a man beareth his son"....supporting, tending, sustaining, carrying them along the way.
Of all the ways the Lord God Almighty could have chosen to relate to mankind He chose the language of family. He presents Himself to us as a Father because we all know what a father is and what a father does. He is a Father to all and a perfect Father and even if we did not have an earthly father who understood the role of a father given by God we still have an understanding of what a good good father should be. God gave us that understanding in our hearts through a need we have to be loved, protected, guided and cared for. When we come into a relationship with Christ we understand even more of these needs and we experience how He alone meets them all and that ultimately it is only through our relationship with Christ do we know come into a relationship with our Heavenly Father.
As in Deuteronomy we read of the Lord going before His people, not only does He fight for them Himself but he also meets the needs of His beloved children. His strong arms hold His child and His arms embrace His child and enables His child to rest in Him. He never grows weary, gives up or leaves His child but carries us 'all the way we went until we reached this place." Oh how He will go before His children “just as he did for you in Egypt,” and He will 'do it again' as often as necessary. Moses continued to encourage the people by reminding them to dwell on God's past faithfulness towards them. There is no better way to move forward in trust than to remember the faithfulness of our God and all He has done and in doing so we become more convinced of His Sovereignty to go forward and we must always remember that Satan loves to makes us forget the past victories and miracles of God on our behalf. The Word cannot fail and He has proven Himself trustworthy and is incapable of failing His children and because of His promises there are never any inadequacies or inconsistencies of any kind.
Father's Day is a day that as we honor father's we are also reminded of our Heavenly Father and the ultimate demonstration that He displayed of His love towards us all..."But God demonstrates His love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ dies for us." Romans 5:8. Jesus dying on the Cross for sinners is the ultimate demonstration of love....of God's love for each of us and if we can trust Him with our salvation we can truly trust Him in every circumstance and for all that we need.
This Father's Day, memories are precious while my heart aches for the one my daughters Dad. I think of my loving husband who was a loving father. I can say that as the Lord is faithful so was he. I think of one of his favorite verses from Hebrews 13:5 which says "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee" and this was Randy's heart. He consistently showed the Lord to his children and grandchildren. He was always so excited to see them as though they were the most important people in the world. He set the example in our home, always pointing us to Christ. He reflected Christ and portrayed what a good good father is....loyal, constant, steadfast...steadfast in affection, allegiance and firm in adherence to a promise. I think of the Lord and how you cannot possibly give to others what you do not have yourself and how the Lord gave him all he had to shepherd his flock. Through all things he lived by Acts 20:24, "But none of these things move me" as he trusted and obeyed the Lord fully confident that there is no other way and in every opportunity he understood his priorities and the accountability he had before the Lord in shepherding his family and others.
This Father's Day I am so thankful to our Heavenly Father for the earthly father He gave our daughters here on earth. How he will be greatly missed this Sunday although his memory is an absolute blessing. As I think of Jesus Christ I think of the same words that describe Randy as he lived in absolute surrender to Christ and of his unconditional love demonstrated towards our daughters and family. I thank the Lord for the godly example we were given and for how God used him to touch our lives as God would know we needed...I thank my husband for being merciful, faithful, gracious, gentle, strong, kind, loving, selfless, humble and compassionate....and as our daughters would say, this is no coincidence but rather a reflection of his daily and personal walk with the Lord.
Through this year, although difficult, God has carried us as God had carried Israel through their journey in the wilderness. Israel in Deuteronomy stood on the edge of the promised land. To this place He carried them and brought them...and he wanted them to renew their commitment to God and be reminded of all that God did for them along their journey in the wilderness….to enter that land and live an abundant blessed life in Him...these promises awaited them. God had carried them as a father carries his child. Through the wilderness God showed them what it meant to live as God's holy people despite what they were feeling or didn't understand. So is the same in our wilderness experiences. God led them to places where there was no food or water, where enemies attacked, and many grumbled and complained. But God sent manna in the morning and God sent water from a rock...their clothes didn't wear out and their feet did not swell...God displayed grace to His people and His presence continued to be with them although it was not easy for them in the wilderness....but God carried His people as a father carries his child.
God carries us too. God has carried me. Like Israel, our suffering and wilderness experiences often can blur our eyes and we may not always see everything in the moment as God sees but we walk continually by faith and not sight...He sustains us with His power and provides us with all we need by His hand. His strong arms hold us and keep us at every moment. As my husband always said...."Great is Thy faithfulness....He will never leave us nor forsake us...and even when we don't understand know that He is there and worship Him anyway".
I pray for all who are reading this...that this Father's Day you will glory in the love that your Heavenly Father demonstrated for you on the Cross. That no matter your own wilderness experience and suffering that you have met on the path God has you to walk on, know He is carrying you. Through many miles, and fighting enemies, and climbing mountains...all that are between you and the promise land of living the abundant life in Christ...carry on. God is near. He is with you as a father carries his son...so He will carry you.
"Who is the man who fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way he should chooses" Psalm 25:12..."A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised and yet one of the most valuable in our society"
Billy Graham...May we all pray for all the father's in our lives....for Gods continued guidance upon their lives in the high calling that God has given them all.
"They eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen that one man that is fully committed to Him"....(2 Chronicles 16:9) I thank the Lord Jesus Christ for my husband and for the father of our daughters and for the grandfather of our grandchildren...I thank God for the many godly fathers making an impact in the lives of others...in the lives of their children and in the lives of those who God has called them to be spiritual fathers to...for men who spoke the truth, for their word that is their bond, for walking with God, for being an honorable father and committed husband. "Who is the man who fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way he should chooses" Psalm 25:12..."A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised and yet one of the most valuable in our society" Billy Graham.
God is faithful, I am reminded once again through His Word that has illuminated my heart and mind to remember the past goodness of the Lord as I open the pages and am fed through the Scriptures.....gazing at the Father's image and love for His children, His love for me....and allowing His strength to carry me....'all the place I went...until I reached this place' that He promised me.
"Doubtless You are our Father, You, O Lord, are our Father; Our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name." Isaiah 63:16
Although Randy would have given all the glory to God, who answered his sincere prayer many years ago to be the husband and father God had called him to be...we have been so blessed by God Randy who gave us you. Happy Father's Day My Love.
Michelle A. Guerra
Michelle A. Guerra
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