I Samuel 3:21
“And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, because the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD.”
The last entry addressed God’s revelations of His will. Today the focus will be on His revelations of Himself. The Lord has primarily revealed Himself in scripture.
Much can be said about what has been revealed about God in the bible: we know He loves us, as He sacrificed His Son, we know that He wants to have a fatherly relationship with each of us, He wants to provide for us (daily bread), we know He wants us to be secure in our salvation (John 10:27-30). We can confidently rest on these biblical truths.
Today’s focus will be on the life events which make these traits alive. We all can detail testimonies about these. Here are some of mine. Whenever I pray the Lord’s Prayer, I think of the fatherhood of God. I have had several men in my life who have demonstrated great fatherly traits. I know they like me, are interested in me and enjoy spending time with me. I sense no disappointment from them. There is no agenda. They want to hear from me and are always eager for my updates. They believe in me.
I believe the Lord has blessed me with these influences. He’s done this to bring about healing and to pass that blessing on to others. Whenever I think of these guys, peace and a sense that “it’ll be ok” is present. The fear of disappointment dissipates. Approval and confidence are some traits that a father is to instill in a young person. If our biological father couldn’t do that, many others can. I work with hundreds of young people. I would be very happy to know that they felt my approval.
Another reason the Lord has provided some great fatherly influences is to provide a more appropriate view of Himself. If people don’t have loving influences, then sensing God as a loving parent is difficult to picture. He works through people.
I Corinthians 13 says that we see through a glass darkly, but then (in heaven) we’ll see face to face. Here on earth we only have a partial view of things. It’ll only be perfect when we’re in the kingdom. While our partial view will never be perfect on earth, it gets clearer and clearer the longer we walk with Him. He reveals Himself to us more and more. As we are in scripture and seek Him, He reveals Himself.
Matthew 11:29 speaks of the wonderful rest He gives as we learn of Him. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.”
Lord, thank You that You care for us and reveal Yourself to us. Thank You for the rest You provide. Help us to seek You more.