 I’m getting married in less than five months, and as a young man, I’ve felt the pressure to become independent faster than I had originally planned. Each day reminds me of how dependent I have always been on my dad. As a child, I never worried about going hungry. I never worried about losing my home. I never experienced the electricity or water being shut off. But now that I’m paying most of my own bills and looking for a home of my own, the idea of dependency comes to mind.
 “Who is your dad?”
One tiny question and my day is thrown off. I feel ashamed and exposed. Most of the time, I can answer this question without people knowing who he is. Today was a rare occasion. BOTH men in the room knew my dad. I was shocked and embarrassed. I felt instant shame and wanted to hide. You see, my dad is not a good man. So, I am comforted when people are unaware that I am his daughter. I went home, and I was still bothered by the earlier conversation. But then I was reminded of something that I want to share with you. I have a Father that I can be proud of. And so can you. “Father to the fatherless, defender of widows - this is God, whose dwelling is holy” (Ps. 68:5 NLT). THIS Father of mine is One I long for people to know. I don’t wish to keep His identity hidden. I want to share Him and His love for His children with the world. I’m not sure what kind of relationship you have with your dad. Maybe it’s similar to mine, or maybe it’s much different. Maybe you have never viewed God as your Father. For a long time I had a picture in my head of a God who was inaccessible - sitting on a throne with His back turned to me, waiting for me to mess up. My view of God the Father was tainted because of my experience with my earthly father. But that is not His heart for us. “The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him” (Ps. 103:13 NLT). He is a compassionate Father. His love for us is genuine. He will never leave or forsake us (Deut. 31:6). He knows the number of hairs on our heads (Luke 12:7). He sent Jesus to save us from our sins (John 3:16). I think it’s safe to say that He is a God Who cares for us. He is our good Father. - Jordy  I’m not one to write about current events. I wholeheartedly believe in the sufficiency of Scripture, and my goal is always to present it faithfully. My object in writing this week is nothing more or less than that. But the connection between Esther 7 and the current upheaval of our American society is striking.
 God’s silent handiwork in Esther becomes ever clearer in chapter 4 as we see how He, in His providence, places Esther in a position for a purpose — to save the Jews from annihilation. This is where the well-known verse can be found: “‘… And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?’” (Esth. 4:14 ESV). But what I love about Esther is that God’s sovereign work isn’t too obvious. This series is called “Sovereign in the silence” for a reason.
 We’ve all been rejected by someone at one time or another. Maybe it was a cute girl in elementary school; The popular guy in high school; A co-worker, boss, spouse, mother-in-law, or lousy friend. I think you get the point. Rejection is a painful reality of life.
But Jesus understands rejection. |