Exodus 3 records the call of God to Moses to lead His people out of their bondage to the Promised Land. Moses response was distress at his inadequacy for the post, but the record declares the glory of God. God assures Moses that a divine call is accompanied by His divine equipping.
A SENT MAN IS AN EQUIPPED MAN.
A proceeding word from God (Matthew 4:4) calls forth creation.
Exodus 3. When Moses looked at himself he was distressed and disheartened, but in God, the great I AM, all Moses’ need was fulfilled. So it is with us.
Man’s greatest need is to come to know God his Heavenly Father. Do I lack love, provision, vision, fulfilment? Whatever my lack, everything I need – My Father is that to me. His name, I AM, declares it.
There is only one answer to the question: What is wrong with society and the Church today? The diagnosis is often correct but there is NO SUBSTITUTE for coming to know God as Father – the answer.
Philip asked of Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father.” Jesus’ reply was that if one had seen Him, he had seen the Father because Jesus was transparent. He only spoke the words His Father gave Him and He only did what the Father told Him to do. He was firstly related to God, before God related Him to the needs of men. Jesus came to demonstrate the heart of Father God to mankind.
Whether our earthly father was good, bad or absent we have to see that they were all flawed in some way, even the good ones. In Matthew 7:11 Jesus said,”If you then being evil (flawed) know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?”
A father is so necessary to our natural life as an essential part of the divine plan for families. So often we are living in a fatherless society, producing the orphan heart. In his book, “I Am Your Father” by Mark Stibbe, the author expounds on the “orphan heart.” He explains that the true meaning of “orphan” in Hebrew means “fatherless.” If a father is not fulfilling his God-given function – then an “orphan heart” is produced whether the father is present or absent. To some extent we all have an orphan heart needing redemption and fathering by our Heavenly Father.
A fatherless society produces hidden symptoms (feelings) which in turn, produce signs which manifest in outward consequences such as anger, mistrust and other negatives. We all come from a flawed state and need to learn to trust God as our Father to heal our hearts. There is no other substitute for our orphaned heart but to be totally dependant on the Holy Spirit to bring us out of this state and teach us – I AM your Father is the answer.
In the Church we are all at different levels in the healing process of our hearts with the Holy Spirit, but the world does not have the answer to the problem.
Jesus was given an earthly father in Joseph, but He had no identity problems because He was secure in the knowledge and love of His Heavenly Father. Jesus was the embodiment of all truth and walked transparently with His Heavenly Father. All He did and said was a response to His Father in heaven. When it came to God’s glory, it was never an issue with Him, He could be trusted with all power in the security of His relationship with His Father, always and only seeking His Father’s will and glory.
On one occasion Jesus is told His family are outside seeking Him. He makes a powerful statement that can include us all. “Who is my mother, my brother? – he who does the will of the Father.” God seeks to be a Father to us.
On the basis of the truth of my bankruptcy, my lack, the great I AM, my Heavenly Father will supply from His abundance.
Fill in the dotted line in this prayer, come in humility:
Father, I lack…………(strength, love, purpose, vision, health etc.) Out of His divine supply He responds, “I AM that to you.” Listen as the Holy Spirit leads you on.
Transparency or truth is vital with God. I cannot blame anyone else for where I am today – whether it be a father or another person. My parents could only give me what they had received from their parenting. They are responsible before God for their actions but I must break the cycle of blame, forgive and look to God, my perfect Father, for healing and redemption. Let the past go and rest on the bosom of Christ and the finished work of the cross.
The new year, 2013, is with us, bristling with opportunities for us to prove God. Let us place our hand in our Heavenly Father’s in child-like trust allowing Him to lead us and direct us at life’s crossroads, as we journey into our unknown future with our faithful, loving Father. May His ways become our ways as He heals our hearts and we live our lives for His divine purposes and glory.
