God, our Father, has given us a new relationship with Himself. He has actually adopted us into His family.
“If you want to judge how well a person understand Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all.” (Knowing God, by J.I. Packer, pg. 201)
We need to grasp what kind of new relationship God has given us. We need to take time and meditate on what this actually means to us.
Here is a definition of adoption taken from the Westminster Confession (Chapter 12).
“All those that are justified, God vouchsafeth, in and for His only Son Jesus Christ, to make partakers of the grace of adoption: by which they are taken into the number, and enjoy the liberties and privileges of the children of God; have His name put upon them, receive the Spirit of adoption; have access to the throne of grace with boldness; are enabled to cry, Abba, Father; are pitied, protected, provided for, and chastened by Him, as by a father; yet never cast off, but sealed to the day of redemption, and inherit the promises, as heirs of everlasting salvation.” (Taken from Knowing God, by J.I Packer, pg. 205-206.)
That is awesome! When we’ve been given and promised all of that, what can we complain about? It is a certainty that our Father will take care of us no matter what is going on in our lives. Try to get that ingrained into your mind. God will take care of you no matter what!
Where do we run for help and direction when things are going bad in our lives? We’d better run to Abba, (daddy). This shows me that when things go wrong I’d better get in prayer with my heavenly Father and talk to him. It won’t do me a bit of good to call friends and hash something over, or complain to them about whatever it is. It might make me feel better temporarily, but it won’t last and it could be sinful if I’m talking about another person. God has all the power and the provision we need. Not only that, He loves us and wants to help us.
I’m writing this today as much for me as for you. I had to have a special time of prayer with my Father this morning. You see I got caught in the trap of worry. My husband pointed it out to me last night and I really didn’t want to hear that and tried to rationalize it. But, this morning when I woke up I realized that he was correct.
We are contemplating moving to a different location and it is not nearby. It will be a big undertaking from my point of view. One part of me wants to go forward with it and the other part of me wants to stay put. So, I struggle and worry about all the many details this move would involve. And, there are many.
Finally, I see that these thoughts really boil down to “fear of the future.” I did not leave the future in God’s hands, I have tried to figure it all out myself. Actually, when I think about it now, I realize that God already has it all figured out. 🙂 It’s a waste of my time and energy to stew about it in my mind. Today I prayed and talked it over with God. I confessed my sin of worry, and repented of it. I will go forward now, and think of this as an adventure and watch how God is going to work things out. It may be that we won’t move in the end. We will take the next step and take a trip to look the area over and see if we think we would like it. I pray God will guide and direct our decisions.
Psalm 23-28 NASB. (23) Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. (24) With Your counsel You will guide me, And afterward receive me to glory. (25) Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. (26) My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (27) For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. (28) But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.
Isn’t that a wonderful Psalm? God is our refuge and strength, and over our present and future. We are nothing without Him. We need Him!
Here is another powerful Psalm that tell us where to look for our help and counsel. It also tells us of some more of the wonderful benefits our Father has given us.
Psa 121:1-8 A Song of Ascents. I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? (2) My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. (3) He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. (4) Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep. (5) The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade on your right hand. (6) The sun will not smite you by day, Nor the moon by night. (7) The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. (8) The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in From this time forth and forever.
In this next scripture we see that once we’ve been adopted into the family of God that we have eternal, everlasting life, and we will never, ever perish. Also, that no one can ever snatch us out of His hand. God is greater than he who is in the world.
Joh 10:28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.
Here is another important portion of scripture that gives us the confidence we need to know that we know, that our heavenly Father is all that we need. He will take care of us in every situation. Again nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Rom 8:31-39 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? (32) He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? (33) Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; (34) who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. (35) Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (36) Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.” (37) But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. (38) For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, (39) nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In summery, after reading and meditating on all of these marvelous holy scriptures we can rest assured that our Father in heaven will truly take care of us in every way. There is no reason for us to worry, fear, or be anxious about the past, present, or future. He loves us and will make sure we are cared for. No other love is greater than His. So, as the scripture says we are too cast (throw) all our anxiety (worry, stress, fretting) on Him, (our heavenly Father. Why should we do that? It is simple really, because He honestly cares for us and has told us to do that. He knows that it is not healthy for us to carry all the burdens in life so He has made a way that is better.
I Peter 5:7 Amplified Bible “Casting the whole of your care–all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all–on Him: for He cares for you affectionately, and cares about you watchfully.
Psalm 55:22 Amplified Bible “Cast your burden on the Lord (releasing the weight of it) and He will sustain you; He will never allow the (consistently) righteous to be moved — made to slip, fall or fail.”
I pray this article will truly bless you as you realize what an awesome Father we have!
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