Tag Archives: Father

Defender of the Fatherless

31 Wednesday Oct 2018

Posted by in Bible, Devotionals, Psalm 10, Psalms

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Reading: Psalm 10
(Verses 12-18)
Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God.
Do not forget the helpless.
Why does the wicked man revile God?
Why does he say to himself,
“He won’t call me to account?”
But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;
you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.
Break the arm of the wicked man;
call the evildoer to account for his wickedness
that would not otherwise be found out.
The LORD is King forever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.
You, LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror (NIV).

IMG_20181014_1241592

Rockcliffe Park, Ottawa, ON — photo by David Kitz

Reflection
From the beginning, it has always been so. At the start of life there is a father. Without a father there is no life. Ponder those words for a moment.

Of course those words are true of a mother as well. But today’s psalm focusses on fathers. To be more accurate, the psalmist calls attention to the fatherless. Apparently, fathers aren’t just needed at the beginning of life; they are needed throughout life.

There are voices in our society that question the need for fathers. Life can go on without them. In some cases, life is better without them. But I would argue that that’s not life as life should be—as life was designed to be from the beginning. Our prisons are filled with fatherless men. A huge chunk of the misery, distress and degradation in this world is caused by the absence of fathers—men who fail to assume their role as fathers.

A good father—an active, involved father—makes a world of difference in the life of a child. As a public school teacher I saw the truth of this every day. The well-fathered child of either gender has advantages beyond compare on every social, economic and intellectual scale. We need fathers. I need a father—a perfect Father.

That’s why we can draw comfort and encouragement from this psalm. Twice the LORD promises to be a helper and defender of the fatherless. Jesus came to introduce us to our Father—a Father who cares.

Response: LORD God, father me. Thank you for caring. Help me become the father I need to be. Amen.

Your Turn: Has your father made a difference in your life for good or bad? Are you being Fathered?

Willing Forgiveness

16 Wednesday Mar 2016

Posted by in Mid-Week Medtiation, Psalms

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You willingly forgive, and your love is always there for those who pray to you (Psalm 86:5, CEV).

M Taylor Plum blossoms 2

Plum Blossoms, Nagoya, Japan — Photo courtesy of Matthew Taylor

Reflection

This week’s I Love the Psalms theme is forgiveness.

We are all familiar with the phrase: Well, I guess if I have to. It’s usually signals a lot of reluctance on the part of the speaker.

When we think about God, we may feel that since He is perfect and holy, He may be reluctant to forgive our many sins. Just the opposite is true and today’s verse from the Psalms makes this crystal clear.

You willingly forgive, and your love is always there for those who pray to you (Psalm 86:5, CEV).

Jesus beautifully portrayed the love of our heavenly Father when he told the story of the prodigal son.

The younger son got up and started back to his father. But when he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt sorry for him. He ran to his son and hugged and kissed him (Luke 15: 20, CEV).

Our heavenly Father shows no reluctance to forgive.

Response: Father God, I come to you. Thanks for running to me when I repent and ask for forgiveness. I do not deserve such a loving response. It is beyond wonderful. Amen.

Your Turn: Have you seen God as reluctant to forgive?

Helper of the Fatherless

11 Wednesday Dec 2013

Posted by in Psalm 10, Psalms

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Reading:                                       Psalm 10

Verses 12-18

Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God.
Do not forget the helpless.
Why does the wicked man revile God?
Why does he say to himself,
“He won’t call me to account?”
But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;
you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.
Break the arm of the wicked man;
call the evildoer to account for his wickedness
that would not otherwise be found out.

The LORD is King forever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.
You, LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror. (NIV)

Reflection

From the beginning, it has always been so. At the start of life there is a father. Without a father there is no life. Ponder those words for a moment.

Of course those words are true of a mother as well. But today’s psalm focusses on fathers. To be more accurate, the psalmist calls attention to the fatherless. Apparently, fathers aren’t just needed at the beginning of life; they are needed throughout life.

There are voices in our society that question the need for fathers. Life can go on without them. In some cases, life is better without them. But I would argue that that’s not life as life should be—as life was designed to be from the beginning. Our prisons are filled with fatherless men. A huge chunk of the misery, distress and degradation in this world is caused by the absence of fathers—men who fail to assume their role as fathers.

A good father—an active, involved father—makes a world of difference in the life of a child. As a public school teacher I saw the truth of this every day. The well-fathered child of either gender has advantages beyond compare on every social, economic and intellectual scale. We need fathers. I need a father—a perfect Father.

That’s why we can draw comfort and encouragement from this psalm. Twice the LORD promises to be a helper and defender of the fatherless. Jesus came to introduce us to our Father—a Father who cares.

Response: LORD God, father me. Thank you for caring. Help me become the father I need to be. Amen.

Your Turn: Has your father made a difference in your life for good or bad? Are you being Fathered?

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