Today’s Daily Bread ~ Daddy’s little girl…

Luke 3:21-22 – One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus Himself was baptized.  As He was praying, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in the form of a dove.  And a voice from heaven said, “You are my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with you.”

I doubt our schools still do this, but I can remember being a little girl in first or second grade.  The teacher had us introduce ourselves to the class, and tell what our fathers did for a living.  Mine worked for a company called Deluxe Checks.
My sisters and I were fascinated by his job.  He used to bring home big books of sample checks for us to play with.  We had no idea what they were for, but we knew they must be important.  They were Daddy’s Work.

When I was very young, we went a stretch with only one car.  That meant that my mother would bundle us up every morning and again in the afternoon to drop off and pick up my father.  Every now and then we’d get to go inside.

I can remember that the side of the building was the kind of glass that acts like a mirror as you walk toward it.  I remember the big glass doors, and the way his office smelled on the inside…like the freshly printed page of a brand new book.   I remember feeling very special.  Everyone wanted to greet Willy Ashbrook’s kids.  As a daughter Willy Ashbrook’s, I felt important at Daddy’s Work.

During the time of the Bible, your identity was very closely tied to your family.  If you were a Roman citizen you were under the authority of the Patriarch until he passed away.  You could be a fifty year old man still living under your father’s rule.

When I was a little girl, I fully believed that there was nothing my daddy couldn’t fix.  When I was with my dad, I was safe.  His word was absolute truth, and nothing could harm me so long as he was there.  With my dad, I had complete security.  How much more then, should we feel that same, childlike security with our Heavenly Father?

You are a child of the Most High God.  Meditate on that for a moment.  The very One who spoke the world into existence looks on you with love, and calls you “daughter.”  “Son.”  What does that mean?

It means we have an inheritance:  Furthermore, because of Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for He chose us from the beginning, and all things happen just as He decided long ago (Ephesians 1:11).

It means there is a place for us at His table:  You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.  You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows (Psalm 23:5).

It means there is a room for you in His house:  “Don’t be troubled.  You trust God, now trust in me.  There are many rooms in my Father’s home, and I am going to prepare a place for you.  If this were not so, I would tell you plainly (John 14:1-2).”

It means that we are never alone:  “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).”

It also means that we can have peace that surpasses understanding, and that we are empowered to walk in victory – not fear or defeat!  “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me.  Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.  But take heart, because I have overcome the world (John 16:33).”

When you were a kid, did you ever get into the dad-argument?  “Oh yea?  Well, my dad can beat up your dad!”  We are children of the Most High God, the Author and Perfecter, the Alpha and Omega, God-with-us, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Great I AM.  YAHWEH – a name so holy and sacred the Jews didn’t dare to utter it out loud.  This world can be frightening when we let go of our Daddy’s hand, for the Father of lies does not rest.  That’s okay.  Our Dad has already defeated the world’s dad.

Dear Heavenly Father, how amazing it is that we get to call You “Father.”  Thank You for that awesome privilege.  Lord, please help us to walk in victory with You.  Please help us to remember that even when we let go of Your hand, You are holding ours.  Please wrap us in Your Presence today, let us truly experience complete security in You.  We thank You for the work on the cross, and Your Son who gave His life for us.  We ask that You would bless us to bless others, and empower us to spread the Good News of the Gospel.  We pray these things in the precious name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.