3,173 Days Ago My Father Died

We are told that less than half of the children in America are raised by their biological fathers.  Some groups teach that fathers are not needed any more.  One mother or two mothers can do just as well as a good mother and a father.  I don’t believe it.

Isaiah 38.

¹⁹ “It is the living who give thanks to You, as I do today;
A father tells his sons about Your faithfulness.

NASB

The one who tells you about God’s faithfulness by their daily life is a father figure to you.  I was fortunate to have my father in my life, but he was not the only positive teacher for me.  He was regular, daily and good to have in my life.  I can never repay God for the blessing he was to me.  He has been gone 3,173 days now as I write this, (8.24.13). 

He helped other men who did not have a father in their lives.  I was with a young man this week who is a successful business man, husband and father.  I don't think his father was around him much and his grandfather died very young.  When he saw me he had not seen me in many years.   I have lost a bunch of hair among other things that have happened to my looks since he had seen me.  He did a double take and looked at me and said, “Uncle Wayne. I can still hear him make clicking noises. I can still hear him say, “Cora Sue, ‘Get that food for us’.    He was so much fun.” 

I was re-reading a little book they wrote about him called, “Wayne’s World”.  In it he was described by the author, Ruth Ann Milton Jones as having a “natural sense of humor.”

Someone who tells you by his words and life about God’s faithfulness and God’s joy is a father to you. 

Still, if you are not allowed to be with your father or with your children you can still be involved in a good way to make things better by engaging in the work of God by telling the young and old about the faithfulness of our heavenly Father.

 On this 3173^rd day since my father went home to be with Jesus I’m thinking also of others who have been like a father to me: uncles, teachers, coaches and bosses at work.

These have communicated the character of God our heavenly Father by the way they lived.

Jesus taught something radical when He said that God was His Father.  He said God was our Father.  Our Abba.  Our daddy.  Can you believe this? This was earth shattering and paradigm shift in His day.

God listens to prayer and responds to help us.

God is a powerful king over all kings.

God is a provider of daily bread and other wonderful food.

God is a giver of forgiveness of our sins.

God leads us.

God pushes us to be persistent.

God develops confident children.

God gives the Holy Spirit to His children.

God gives freedom to His children.

God is strong.

God takes action.  He is on the offensive.  He initiates.

God expects obedience.

God teaches us to not be selfish.

God promotes great news being spread.

God trains us to be careful with our eyes and our thoughts.

God helps us to clean up our lives from the inside out.

God teaches us to be generous with money but also with time and energy to stand up for the fatherless.

God doesn’t burden His children unnecessarily.

God supports challenging the religious system that is off track.

God shows that the key to all knowledge is Jesus Christ.

God teaches us through Jesus that it is important to do what is right and don’t worry about religious leaders being hostile to us.

Daddy, I miss you today and every day.

God,  thank you for giving us father figures who communicate your character to us.

Luke 11.

Larry Wishard