“In all their afflictions He was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them; in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He bore them and carried them all the days of old.” Isaiah 63:9

Tender Father

Cultivating Awe and Reverence for God, Day 10

Walk his Way revisited —First posted in January, 2017

There is a tender side to our great God, though to say He has a “side” is incorrect, as He cannot be divided into parts. He isn’t partly angry and partly sweet. He is what He is, all at once.

Let us not forget, in our ponderings of His might, splendor, wisdom, and holiness, that we only come to Him because He tenderly draws us to Himself as a Father—just because He has chosen to be our Father and set His love upon us. Jeremiah 31:3b (NIV) says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”

One of the most loving passages I have read (and there are many others) is this: “I taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by their arms; but they did not know that I healed them. I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love, and I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them… How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart churns within Me, My sympathy is stirred. I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim. For I am God, and not man, the Holy One in your midst; and I will not come with terror” (Hosea 11:3-4, 8-9).

These are the sweet memories of a father who has loved his child to the uttermost, teaching him to walk as a toddler, doing work on his behalf that his child is unaware of, being gentle with him, gently binding the child to himself by the sheer force of his loving ways, stooping to his level to converse, and feeding him when he was unable to feed himself. In short, this loving parent did everything he could to secure the child’s return love and a good life and future for the child. Now, the father sees that he may have to give the child up for good, for the child has determined to go his own way, away from the love of his father. The father agonizes. How can he give him up? How can he hand him over to another? His heart churns, his gut wrenches. His sympathy arises within him. No matter what the child has done, or will do, he is deeply loved.

Father God has a right to be angry with His wayward children, but He forestalls it. He plainly explains why—it is because He is God, and not man. He will not respond as a man would. He will not come roaring and tearing into our midst—though He could, and He would be justified in doing so. His compassion compels Him to wait patiently for us to come to repentance. But we can be certain, a day is coming when He must judge all things.

He is the Holy One in our midst. As in our opening text, He saves, redeems, bears, and carries, all the way from our beginning to our end.

Tender Father, Your love is very great. May we learn that You are compassionate and patient, as a good father is with his little child. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.