Entrust your life into the hands of a Good Father
One of the things that happens when a person receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is that the person becomes grafted into the family of God.
John, the beloved disciple of Christ, when writing about the incarnation of the True Light into the world, said,
John 1:12 “Yet to all who did receive [Jesus], to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.
It is an identity shift that happens as we receive the Spirit of God to dwell in us, marking us as God’s children.
☞ But, whether this is great news or not depends on what kind of Father God is!
—So, what kind of Father is God?—
First, let us explore God’s character as revealed in Scripture. The Psalms are replete with verses about God’s nature, character, and….goodness!
Psalm 34:8 “Oh taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him”
Psalm 84:11 “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withold from those whose walk is blameless”
Psalm 145:9 “The Lord is good to all, He has compassion on all He has made”
Further, when Jesus spoke about God the Father, He described Him as a good Father who not only knows what we need before we ask Him (Matthew 6:8), but also provides for us accordingly (Matthew 7:11), in measures more than an earthly father ever could!
Finally, when it comes to His will or desire for His children, Paul describes it as a good, pleasing, and perfect will!
Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.”
This is a will that you can confidently and securely entrust your life into.
—What does this mean in practice?—
Now that you know that through Jesus, you have become the child of a good Father, whenever you are tempted to strive for control of every situation, or when you are frustrated that things are not turning out as you planned, or as fast as you planned, you can remember that your life is in God’s hands.
While you may not envision your future in perfect crystalline clarity, you can trust that the One who planned it designed it for good and not for disaster (Jeremiah 29:11). The final picture of your life may be unclear to you, but you can rest secure knowing that the One who holds the paintbrush in His hands makes everything beautiful in its time and you are His masterpiece (Ecclesiastes 3:11; Ephesians 2:10). You may not know what each chapter in the book of your life will entail, but you can know that the One who has written every day of your life in His book loves you immensely and will perfect the journey of your life (Psalm 139:16; Hebrews 12:2).
—Great, but wait!—
This does not mean we should be complacent believers with no sense of personal responsibility for our lives. Rather, like Proverbs 3:5 instructs, we should trust in the Lord with our whole heart, not relying on our own insights or understanding to guide us, but committing our ways into His hands with confidence that He will establish His plans for us.
So entrust your life into the Hands of your good Heavenly Father. Not only does He make us His children, but He also carries us through the whole journey of our lives. Let the One who wrote your story hold your hand and walk you through the chapters daily.
Isaiah 46:3-4
Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob,
all the remnant of the people of Israel,
you whom I have upheld since your birth,
and have carried since you were born.
Even to your old age and gray hairs
I am He, I am He who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you.