You will never find the God of the Bible reluctant to show you kindness. He not only has your good in mind, he is happy about it!
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a great lesson from our Abba Father.
Isn’t that a wonderful title? I mean, actually, it is astounding, it’s amazing that we are invited to call our Heavenly Father, Abba; that is, Daddy. I mean, even when I say that word Daddy, warm and inviting images of my earthly father come alive. He was a good father, my dad; a lot like my Heavenly Father, in fact – slow to anger, and quick to show a lot of love and mercy. Now, for sure, my dad was a disciplinarian – I mean, I knew his stern look – but I never feared his wrath. Like, when he’d be sitting at his desk and painting – oil painting was a hobby of his, something he enjoyed doing after dinner, when he’d be at his desk with a big canvas and paintbox. I’d love watching him paint, and occasionally he would reach down, put me up on his knee, and invite me to get out my crayons and work alongside him.
Well, you never saw such a happy kid, but one time I accidentally squashed one of his tubes of oil paint. It spread all over his palette, making a huge mess on the desk. I was mortified, convinced my father would never, ever want me up by his side again while he was oil painting, but not so. The next time he brought out his box of paints and I hesitantly came up to his desk, there he was, so happy to invite me up on his knee. I cannot remember my father ever being reluctant to show me kindness. He was glad to do it. My father was a good man.
And my Father in heaven – your Father – is a good God. Not once will you ever find the God of the Bible reluctant to show you kindness. He is happy to do good toward you. The God of the Bible is not unwilling or hesitant or even adverse to showing you mercy. It’s not like he has to force himself. Rather, in Jeremiah 32, God says of his people – I love this – he says, “I will rejoice in doing them good and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and with all my soul.” God not only has your good in mind, he’s happy about it! He rejoices in doing good toward you. It gives him pleasure and joy to grant you his grace, bestow upon you his peace, stir your hope, strengthen and enlarge your faith, help you keep his promises, and advocate on your behalf when you are struggling to overcome sin. And he does it with all his heart and soul.
We need to remember this, because sometimes, even after we experience his forgiveness, we can’t seem to shake the idea that God somewhere, way down deep, still harbors displeasure with us. We mess up. We sin. We make mistakes. We rebel. And we’re sure he’s never again ever going to invite us to partner with him in anything. We figure we’ve fallen from some divine plan A and now he’s become fascinated with some more obedient Christians. Well, we need to remember Jeremiah 32, don’t we? God rejoices in doing us good. Psalm 149 says that the Lord takes pleasure in his people, and he adorns the humble with victory.
Like the song goes, “He’s a good, good father.” He’s our Abba Daddy and Jeremiah 32 reminds us of his warm tenderness toward us – us, his children. So, picture your Abba Father inviting you close to his side; inviting you to participate in his work. Consider his goodness in giving Jesus to die for us. Think of his incredible gift in Christ and be blessed by overflowing and abundant good gladness of your Heavenly Father today.
© Joni and Friends