The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
(Friends: we do not often send out a Sunday message, but this one is ready to go. Thanks, Glen).
"Our Father?"
"Our blessed privilege to address God as 'Our Father' was made possible by our Lord's 'Why?' as He suffered and died alone for our sins."
Knowing that His atoning and redeeming work would ultimately make possible His disciples' spiritual birth into the family of God, the Lord Jesus Christ taught them to pray, "Our Father, which art in Heaven… (Matthew 6:9).
The familiarity of the prayer may tempt us to minimize the enormity of its grace and mercy. "Our Father?" (!). The living and eternal God, Creator and Sustainer of all things, the Judge to whom all will one day answer, infinite in understanding, too holy to even look upon evil, and glorious beyond the cumulative imagination of all humanity - our Father? How can such a thing be when pondering the vastness of limitation that characterizes our humanity, particularly in light the race having descended into sin at its outset, and lying in wickedness ever since? "What is man, that Thou art mindful of Him?" (I John 5:19; Psalm 8:4).
Even more, our Savior knew that for human spirits to be birthed into family relationship with God, His own spirit would require His Father's smiting for our sins, and His own cry one day into the most forlorn loneliness ever known by a sentient being: "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46). No answer came in that dark and dreadful hour as the Father poured out His wrath on the Son "made to be sin for us" (II Corinthians 5:21). However, the wrath known by our Lord on the cross made possible the birth known by all who receive the grace known in salvation. "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name" (John 1:12). Yes, our blessed privilege to utter "Our Father" was made possible by our Lord's "Why?" as He suffered and died alone for our sins.
We will all address God as Father many times during our lives. It is fine that we do not always ponder the current consideration as we do so. Our minds are not capable of accommodating too many trains of thought at once. However, we do well on regular occasions to still ourselves for a moment as we pray, "Our Father," allowing the wonder of such a relationship with the living and true God to overwhelm our hearts. We do so in awed reverence as we remember the cost and the loss that made possible our having been granted freely given entree into "the whole family of Heaven and earth"…
"We did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all."
(Isaiah 53:4-6)
A trail of Blood traces the path
leading to the Throne,
where God receives the trusting heart,
approaching by His Son.
Without the cross, there could not be
this access freely known.
Without such sorrow, pain, and loss,
We'd have nowhere to go.
Yes, every prayer flows to the Throne
on floodtides of Christ's blood.
We come with grateful, trusting hope
in wonder of such love.
A trail of Blood graces the path
leading to the Throne.
Weekly Memory Verse
As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.
(John 1:12)
7081
No comments:
Post a Comment