{"id":6109,"date":"2018-02-23T10:24:54","date_gmt":"2018-02-23T16:24:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/?p=6109"},"modified":"2018-02-23T10:24:54","modified_gmt":"2018-02-23T16:24:54","slug":"our-father","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/2018\/02\/23\/our-father\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Father"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Tim Parrish<\/strong>
\nIt was easy to spot that old \u201963 Chevy truck coming down the road. It was red with a white top, and it sported cab lights above the windshield. It wasn\u2019t\u00a0in the best condition; in fact, you could almost put your feet through the holes in the floor. It wasn\u2019t fast, or loud, or pretty. It didn\u2019t even have a working radio. But I would sit at the end of our\u00a0gravel driveway\u00a0in the\u00a0afternoon waiting for that pickup to\u00a0exit\u00a0the highway and head down our tar-and-chip road.\u00a0When that old red truck turned into our driveway, I would run as fast as my little legs would carry me to\u00a0climb into the wood-floored bed and ride to the house as proud as any hero in a grand parade.\u00a0You see, the sight of that\u00a0truck signaled that my Daddy was\u00a0coming.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nHe worked in a factory just a few miles away, but I could count on him coming home every day.\u00a0Even if my day had been less-than-ideal,\u00a0Daddy\u00a0was coming, and that simple fact would make\u00a0for a better night.\u00a0There was some kind of balance that was restored by his coming.\u00a0And I eagerly waited for him. His return might mean we\u2019d go fishing. It could just mean we would soon enjoy a peaceful family meal around the table.\u00a0But I was certain of one thing: he was coming.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nI think this is the same kind of anticipation that the prophet Micah is talking about in his last message:\u00a0Micah\u2019s message, like many of the prophets of old, was not very positive. He spoke of God\u2019s coming judgment for the rebellious sin of the Hebrew people. He reminded the people of their offenses\u00a0and\u00a0painted\u00a0a dismal portrait of\u00a0Israel\u2019s future.\u00a0Yet, in the midst of this bleak\u00a0prophecy, Micah found\u00a0a\u00a0glimmer\u00a0of\u00a0hope in\u00a0anticipating his Father\u2019s coming.\u00a0\u201cBut as for me, I will look to the\u00a0Lord;\u202fI will wait for the God of my salvation<\/b>;\u202fmy God will hear me\u201d (7:7).\u00a0<\/span>
\nIn telling Moses what to say to the enslaved Jews, God described Israel as\u00a0His\u00a0\u201cfirstborn son\u201d (Exodus 4:22). He\u00a0is described in Psalm 68:5 as a father to the fatherless.\u00a0Speaking for the nation, Isaiah calls\u00a0Him \u201cour Father\u201d (Isaiah 63:16).\u00a0Jesus taught\u00a0His followers to pray to God as a Father (Matthew 6). Paul\u00a0illustrates the Christian\u2019s\u00a0familial\u00a0relationship with\u00a0God\u00a0by using the\u00a0image of adoption (Romans 8; Ephesians 1). Paul even talks in Romans 8 of the entirety of creation \u201cgroaning\u201d\u00a0as it waits for the final, redemptive moment of our\u00a0adoption.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nThese and numerous other\u00a0Scriptures\u00a0make it clear\u00a0that God wants to be known to us as our Father, an extremely tender and precious relationship.\u00a0Is it any wonder, then, that Micah would eagerly wait for God?\u00a0We are strengthened to bear up under the trials we face by the anticipation of our reunion with \u201cAbba\u201d (Galatians 4:6).\u00a0We wait for the balance of all things\u00a0to\u00a0be set right,\u00a0for\u00a0all of the less-than-ideal seasons of life\u00a0to\u00a0be transformed into\u00a0something better.\u00a0We believe that our Father\u2019s presence will render everything else irrelevant, thrilling us beyond description.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nIt is with love that I honor\u00a0my earthly father. I am thankful for the ways he helped me understand\u00a0the\u00a0relationship\u00a0God desires\u00a0with me. And with the same certainty as I waited for\u00a0his\u00a0old red and white truck, I wait for my Heavenly Father.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Tim Parrish It was easy to spot that old \u201963 Chevy truck coming down the road. It was red with a white top, and it sported cab lights above the windshield. It wasn\u2019t\u00a0in the best condition; in fact, you could almost put your feet through the holes in the floor. It wasn\u2019t fast, or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[59,66],"tags":[930,755,1375,1385],"class_list":["post-6109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christian-living","category-think-excerpts","tag-daily-walk","tag-father","tag-june-2013","tag-tim-parrish","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\nOur Father - Focus Press<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/2018\/02\/23\/our-father\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Our Father - Focus Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Tim Parrish It was easy to spot that old \u201963 Chevy truck coming down the road. 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