Saturday, November 30, 2013

Family Times

Today was a wonderful day for me. My oldest daughter and her step son came to town and over to my place, which does not happen often enough. It was a great time of singing songs together, making food, and laughing. As they pulled down the driveway, leaving for the day, I was saddened that they were leaving. After waving until they were out of sight, I turned back into the garage, brushing the moisture from my eyes. It made me think of God and what the sabbath is about.

God is our Father. He longs to spend time with us, just as we do our children. He loves to hear us sing, like when I listened to my daughter and her son. And as I am writing this, I imagine Him smiling and laughing. I know that may sound odd, but that is what us father’s like to do. We like just being dad to the kids.

Days like today help me to understand God’s pattern for the sabbath.

Genesis 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

It seems to me that God wants to spend time with us, like I did today with my family. He wants there to be time every week for us to be with Him and the rest of our family. He wants to relax and listen to what we have to say, see what we are up to, and enjoy our rejoicing. What a great pattern God has given us. He is the pattern of a true Father.

Prayer
Father, thank You for Your patterns of life. Thank You especially for showing us what a real Father is like. Thank You for Your pattern of rest and family time every week. Thank You for delivering our families from the trials of lack and sickness. Thank You for life. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.