Aligning my heart with my head
When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he taught them to address God like this: OUR FATHER in heaven… MATTHEW 6:9
God has many names and titles but Jesus chose, FATHER. I know that truth in my head, God is my Father. But in practice, I often feel and behave like I am left on my own.
The dictionary defines ORPHAN as:
- A child whose parents are dead
- A child who has been deprived of parental care and has not been adopted
- A person, especially a minor, whose parents have permanently abandoned them
- A young animal that has been prematurely separated from its parents or its mother
- (figuratively) Anything that is unsupported, as by its source, provider or caretaker, by reason of the supporter’s demise or decision to abandon.
I am not an orphan. God in heaven is my Father. The head doesn’t always match the heart.
I’ve been asking myself: In what ways do I feel orphaned?
For several years I’ve been struggling with an autoimmune condition that constantly causes pain and a lot of discomfort. I won’t go into the details because that is not the focus of today’s reflection. Suffice to say my condition perplexes me.
Pain has a way of pushing us to ask questions like “Why? Why me? Why is there suffering in this world… If God is good, why does he allow… why… why… why…”
Can God heal? Yes he can. Is he too weak to heal? No, he’s not. He can heal at the breath of his word. Does he heal? Not always. Why? I don’t know. There are other forces at work. Am I excusing him? No I’m not.
I’m past doubting his wisdom, past doubting his love, past doubting his good plans for my life. My past rebellion from God were detours I took when the journey could have been so much simpler, less painful with less dire outcomes.
So do I feel orphaned? Yes sometimes. But not enough to put me in a faith crisis. This morning Romans 8 popped up in my feed.
So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” – Romans 8:15 NLT
From the deepest parts of me, my spirit tells me I am his. “Abba. Father. Daddy!”
Aligning the heart with the head
In the face of a weight I cannot bear, I know that something glorious awaits us. God’s Spirit helps us when we are weak. He prays for us in groanings that words cannot express.
Do you see it? The whole chapter is song of celebration. We are our Father’s child – sons and daughters of God most high. We are not orphans.
God’s only Son Jesus gave his sinless life on the Cross to pay the penalty of our sins. His life restored our broken relationship with the Father. We are not orphans.
God’s Holy Spirit living inside of us is our constant companion. He prays for us and teaches us to talk with our Father. Whatever the Father reveals, his Holy Spirit makes clear to us so we can take his truths and make it ours. We are heirs and not orphans.
In what ways do you feel orphaned? Are you looking for your Father? Maybe it’s not so much us looking for Father as he is waiting for us. He is waiting for us to come…
Into the Father’s House
And he (the younger son) arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. – Luke 15:20
Into the Father’s Heart
And he said to him (the older son), ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. – Luke 15:31
Soak in Romans 8