I praise you that I am Your child. You know all about me.
You know when I sit down, and when I stand up. During the night when I am asleep, You are thinking about me. If I could count the times You had me in mind, it would be more than the grains of sand in the sea.
Father, You even know my thoughts. Before I speak, You understand what I am going to say. You know what is in my mind and heart. It is too wonderful for me
If I went up to heaven, You would be there. If I am buried in the grave, You are there. If I could fly to the uttermost parts of the earth, or swim to the depths of the sea, You would still be with me. If I tried to flee from You, Your Presence would be there. Even if I tried to hide in the blackness of night, I would be seen, for darkness and light are the same to You; the night shines as bright as day.
Oh my Father, no matter where I go, I know You will lead me, for Your Spirit is everywhere, seeing, hearing, knowing, watching, leading, and loving me.
I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Even before I was born, you loved me. When I was a baby, a small child, an adolescent, a young person, you watched over me. Now I am older, and you still care about me. 1
But Lord, I want to know more about You.
Why did You love me even before I was born? You knew I would fail to live according to the high standard of Your holy law.
Even now my heart is wayward. I do not want it to be, but I still struggle with the flesh. I still struggle with pride. I still take too long to surrender. You knew this, even before the world was created, and yet You still thought of me conceived and formed in my mother’s womb. You still wanted me brought forth.
No wonder the apostle John said ‘God is love’. You must be love itself. 2
I think of that council way back in eternity when You and Your Son covenanted to redeem mankind if sin should arise. Yes, I know you are omniscient and know all things, but it is wonderful to think You had already made provision to save me. 3
I am awed to think that the God of the universe would promise to give His own dear Son as a sacrifice for guilty man! What love is this! And then Your Son, begotten in Your image, freely volunteered to become that substitute. I have never known such love. 4
Father, I want to understand more about this kind of love, a love that even found it difficult to decide between a human being not yet born, and Your only begotten Son whose glorious presence you could see and rejoice in every moment. 5
I want to know more of Your Son too. What love He must have had to be willing to leave the magnificence of heaven to take upon His divinity human nature. And not even humanity in the perfection of Adam, but human nature that had experienced degeneration for four thousand years of sin. 6
Your Son left the realms of glory to suffer the hunger, thirst and tiredness I experience. Not only that, but He was tempted in every way I am tempted, only more so. When I have been tempted in the past, I have resisted for a while, but then I gave in. But Your Son never once sold His integrity to the devil. He never sinned in His entire life. 7
Father, I want that kind of victory over sin.
I do not want to give Satan any advantage, and so I choose to keep the commandments because I love Jesus. 8 This is the desire of my heart. Help me to hold to it always.
I pray my ear will catch the distant music, and the shouts of victory in the heavenly courts. 9
My heart longs for the day when I will stand with all the redeemed on the sea of glass, and Jesus will place upon my head the crown of victory.10
Oh it makes my heart tremble just to think of it – Jesus will place a crown upon my head!
By faith I can see Him standing before me. His nail-scarred hands lift the jewelled crown in front on me, and with words of peace and love, He begins to place it upon my unworthy brow. I want to step back and say, ‘No Lord, not on my head’. He smiles and says, ‘You have gained the victory in my blood. Let it be so’.
Oh my Father, may it be so in that day.
Amen
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Oh My Father
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Oh My Father