Carried On His Shoulders
This past Father's Day, during our morning service, I wanted to say something to honor our fathers. The Lord lead me to this scripture: Deuteronomy 1:30-31: "The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place."
Just before leading me to this verse, the Lord took me on a trip into my childhood memories. I vividly recalled a time when I was about 5 or 6. My mother had made a lavender dress for me. It was sleeveless and had pretty rickrack around the neckline. I guess even then I had a passion for purple! Oh how I loved that dress! We lived close to a river where my father would fish. I wanted to go with him on this occasion and I wanted to wear my lavender dress. After begging my mother, she allowed me to wear it to go fishing with dad. All was well for a little while. Dad was on the edge of the river fishing. He had perched me on a tree root that extended out to the very edge of the water. Sure enough, after a little while, I fell off the tree root into the mucky river's edge. Of course I started crying but my dad lifted me out of the mire and carried me home on his shoulders. I can still remember the feeling of being on top of his strong shoulders. All the way home I cried and was afraid that mom would be mad at me for getting my pretty lavender dress dirty. And all the way home my father assured me that it would be all right. I remember sitting on top of his shoulders as he carried me home, constantly telling me all would be well. When we arrived home, I do not know what my mother's thoughts were, but she did not yell at me or seemed upset. My father was right! All was well.
Just like my earthly father, my Heavenly Father does the same thing. He carries me on His shoulders and assures me that all is well. Sometimes we get dirty, Sometimes we make mistakes. But God lifts us up onto His strong shoulders and carries us back to safety. How comforting to know this! As much as I knew my earthly father loved me and protected me, now I am assured of the awesome love that my Heavenly Father gives to me! Another verse in Deuteronomy gives me even more comfort and assurance. It states that the beloved(me) of the Lord will dwell in safety by Him (God)- who shelters me all day long and I will dwell (live) between His shoulders! Deuteronomy 33:12.
Oh how wonderful the love of God. It is so vast and awesome- we cannot put it into words. I have not even touched the surface of that love in my finite mind! Our minds cannot attain to it. It is too huge and immense. But as time goes on we can know and experience that love of God. For God so loved the world He sent His only beloved Son- Jesus Christ to die for us- John 3:16- a very familiar verse. This was the reason Christ came into the world- to reveal the love of the Father to us! But it is not enough just to know that in our heads. We must experience it in our hearts! There is a difference between the two.
Just to "accept" the Lord as our personal Savior doesn't cut it. That's only a start. We must experience Him! We must have His presence with us every day. We must know Him in an intimate way. Many people knew the love that my father had for them. But that didn't make them his children. And many people know the love that God has for the world, but just to know that doesn't make them His children either.
The Bible says that we must repent (turn away from our sins) and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and receive the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38). We must have a living relationship with Christ! We must turn from our ways and turn toward Christ. We must forsake our old way of life and partake of the new life in Christ. This only comes through a living vital relationship with Jesus Christ.
Today, more than ever-- we need to know that love of our Father. Just like me as that little girl being carried by my dad to safety--we need to experience that kind of love, that kind of relationship. Many things are happening in the world today- things that have no record of ever happening before! We are in the last days as the prophets told about. We must get serious with our lives and our commitment to Jesus Christ. It is a time of laying aside the weights and the sin which so easily ensnares us (Hebrews 12:1-2) and run with endurance the race that is before us--looking to Jesus the beginning and ending of our faith.
That place of safety I mentioned in Deuteronomy 33:12 means in the original--securely, confidently, and safety that belongs only to those who trust and rely on the Lord. It doesn't belong to those who just go to church once in awhile, or even to those who go to church every day. It doesn't matter how many times you go to church or how many times you say you love the Lord (Though we need to attend faithfully the church that God has placed us in). It is a life full of the power and spirit of the Lord that keeps us above the insanity of the evil and keeps us alive with His Spirit to live a conquering and overcoming life! It is in the love relationship of a child to his or her Father through the life of Jesus Christ.
Oh may we all find ourselves in His love and in His safety. Like that little girl, being carried to safety and comfort by her father and being assured that all will be well. May we all find ourselves spending more time in prayer and praise to our precious Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, being filled with His Spirit to live an overcoming life in these dark and trying times! Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!
Just before leading me to this verse, the Lord took me on a trip into my childhood memories. I vividly recalled a time when I was about 5 or 6. My mother had made a lavender dress for me. It was sleeveless and had pretty rickrack around the neckline. I guess even then I had a passion for purple! Oh how I loved that dress! We lived close to a river where my father would fish. I wanted to go with him on this occasion and I wanted to wear my lavender dress. After begging my mother, she allowed me to wear it to go fishing with dad. All was well for a little while. Dad was on the edge of the river fishing. He had perched me on a tree root that extended out to the very edge of the water. Sure enough, after a little while, I fell off the tree root into the mucky river's edge. Of course I started crying but my dad lifted me out of the mire and carried me home on his shoulders. I can still remember the feeling of being on top of his strong shoulders. All the way home I cried and was afraid that mom would be mad at me for getting my pretty lavender dress dirty. And all the way home my father assured me that it would be all right. I remember sitting on top of his shoulders as he carried me home, constantly telling me all would be well. When we arrived home, I do not know what my mother's thoughts were, but she did not yell at me or seemed upset. My father was right! All was well.
Just like my earthly father, my Heavenly Father does the same thing. He carries me on His shoulders and assures me that all is well. Sometimes we get dirty, Sometimes we make mistakes. But God lifts us up onto His strong shoulders and carries us back to safety. How comforting to know this! As much as I knew my earthly father loved me and protected me, now I am assured of the awesome love that my Heavenly Father gives to me! Another verse in Deuteronomy gives me even more comfort and assurance. It states that the beloved(me) of the Lord will dwell in safety by Him (God)- who shelters me all day long and I will dwell (live) between His shoulders! Deuteronomy 33:12.
Oh how wonderful the love of God. It is so vast and awesome- we cannot put it into words. I have not even touched the surface of that love in my finite mind! Our minds cannot attain to it. It is too huge and immense. But as time goes on we can know and experience that love of God. For God so loved the world He sent His only beloved Son- Jesus Christ to die for us- John 3:16- a very familiar verse. This was the reason Christ came into the world- to reveal the love of the Father to us! But it is not enough just to know that in our heads. We must experience it in our hearts! There is a difference between the two.
Just to "accept" the Lord as our personal Savior doesn't cut it. That's only a start. We must experience Him! We must have His presence with us every day. We must know Him in an intimate way. Many people knew the love that my father had for them. But that didn't make them his children. And many people know the love that God has for the world, but just to know that doesn't make them His children either.
The Bible says that we must repent (turn away from our sins) and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and receive the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38). We must have a living relationship with Christ! We must turn from our ways and turn toward Christ. We must forsake our old way of life and partake of the new life in Christ. This only comes through a living vital relationship with Jesus Christ.
Today, more than ever-- we need to know that love of our Father. Just like me as that little girl being carried by my dad to safety--we need to experience that kind of love, that kind of relationship. Many things are happening in the world today- things that have no record of ever happening before! We are in the last days as the prophets told about. We must get serious with our lives and our commitment to Jesus Christ. It is a time of laying aside the weights and the sin which so easily ensnares us (Hebrews 12:1-2) and run with endurance the race that is before us--looking to Jesus the beginning and ending of our faith.
That place of safety I mentioned in Deuteronomy 33:12 means in the original--securely, confidently, and safety that belongs only to those who trust and rely on the Lord. It doesn't belong to those who just go to church once in awhile, or even to those who go to church every day. It doesn't matter how many times you go to church or how many times you say you love the Lord (Though we need to attend faithfully the church that God has placed us in). It is a life full of the power and spirit of the Lord that keeps us above the insanity of the evil and keeps us alive with His Spirit to live a conquering and overcoming life! It is in the love relationship of a child to his or her Father through the life of Jesus Christ.
Oh may we all find ourselves in His love and in His safety. Like that little girl, being carried to safety and comfort by her father and being assured that all will be well. May we all find ourselves spending more time in prayer and praise to our precious Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, being filled with His Spirit to live an overcoming life in these dark and trying times! Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!
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