Watching the television program "Life Today" with James and Betty Robison, I heard a young woman named Lacey Sturm, the former lead singer of the rock group "Flyleaf" tell of how she came to know Christ. Growing up as one of 6 children in a fatherless home, and witnessing acts of brutality from many of the men in her young life, she set upon a life of rebellion, sin, and hopelessness. At age 16, no longer able to be controlled by her mother, she was sent to her grandparents to live, but her life continued on a steady downward spiral. Finally, unable to bear it no longer, she planned to commit suicide that evening, but her grandmother, in desperation, insisted that she come to church with her. Sullenly, with hate in her heart, towards her grandmother, the church people, and God, she went. The pastor preached, and in the middle of the message, stopped, and weeping said, "There is someone here tonight who is planning to commit suicide and the Father wants you to know that He doesn't want you to do it, that He has life for you." Though totally moved by what she heard, she didn't run towards, but away from Him. As she went to the rear exit, an elderly, whitehaired gentleman spoke gently to her, telling her that he felt impressed of the Spirit to tell her that she needed to know that not all men were like those she had known. What he said next melted her heart. He told her that the Father didn't want her to cry herself to sleep anymore, that He longed to not only be the Father to her that she'd never known, but the Father to her that only He could be. She was broken, because since the age of 10, she had cried herself to sleep each night, feeling unloved, unwanted, lost. That night she came out of darkness into His light, out of hopelessness, into His hope. At the conclusion of her story, Robison said, "We live in a fatherless world," and we need look not only out of our own windows, but within so many of our own hearts to know that this is true. Yet standing at the door of every heart, is He who would be a Father to the fatherless, if we'll receive Him. We need to know that this is true not only for all those who have never known Him, but for so many of us who may have received Him as Savior, yet have never known Him as our Father. Who have never allowed Him to truly minister to us as His children.
How fatherless might our lives, yours and mine, be today? Whether we've lost a father, never had a father, or if we did, had one that never knew how, or worse, cared to be one to us, there is a Father, a Father of Kingdom Life available to us. He knows where we are, what the pain is, the emptiness, hopelessness, despair, that may be there, and He bids us to let Him enter into those places with us.....as Father. In a fatherless world, will we receive the surpassing joy of knowing Him, through Christ, as Father? The old hymn sings, "This is my Father's world." Will we enter into and know that world?
As I close, I'm reminded of the Psalmist's writing, "Throughout the generations, You have been our home." To our hurting hearts, our perhaps empty hearts, He speaks that truth, telling us, "I am your home." A home found only in Him.....the Father. Might you be in a place, emotionally, physically, spiritually, like Lacey Sturm? As the Father knew where she was, so does He know where you are, we are. He comes to us, and bids us come to Him. Let us do so. Let us know Him as Father........and be Fatherless no more.
Blessings,
Pastor O
How fatherless might our lives, yours and mine, be today? Whether we've lost a father, never had a father, or if we did, had one that never knew how, or worse, cared to be one to us, there is a Father, a Father of Kingdom Life available to us. He knows where we are, what the pain is, the emptiness, hopelessness, despair, that may be there, and He bids us to let Him enter into those places with us.....as Father. In a fatherless world, will we receive the surpassing joy of knowing Him, through Christ, as Father? The old hymn sings, "This is my Father's world." Will we enter into and know that world?
As I close, I'm reminded of the Psalmist's writing, "Throughout the generations, You have been our home." To our hurting hearts, our perhaps empty hearts, He speaks that truth, telling us, "I am your home." A home found only in Him.....the Father. Might you be in a place, emotionally, physically, spiritually, like Lacey Sturm? As the Father knew where she was, so does He know where you are, we are. He comes to us, and bids us come to Him. Let us do so. Let us know Him as Father........and be Fatherless no more.
Blessings,
Pastor O
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