Good morning,<\/p>\n
I grew up in the southern part of England. Like many children do, I looked up to my parents. I viewed the world through the lens of their reactions. This was especially the case for my dad because he was a policeman. I was proud of my dad. He provided for us and kept our world safe. When I was a young child, I saw him as very big and strong. He seemed so noble, protecting the world and keeping things in order. I didn\u2019t live in fear of the outside world, even though the area we grew up in had many problems.<\/p>\n
As a young child I had no comprehension of danger. We lived in a busy part of town and there were several fatal car accidents in our area. Yet, when I was with my dad, I was safe. I especially enjoyed our regular walks to the local newspaper shop that also sold sweets (that\u2019s \u2018candy\u2019 for my American friends). Dad would get his evening paper and I would sometimes be allowed to get some sweets. But this was no easy venture; the journey to the newspaper shop was no Sunday afternoon stroll. To get to the shop from our house meant crossing a very busy, divided, four lane road. The traffic would sometimes fly past at over 50mph, but I never thought about that. You see, I was holding my dad\u2019s hand and I was safe. My dad always kept me safe. Not even the prospect of crossing that busy road caused me to doubt him. Each time we approached the crossing, He would reach for my hand and hold it tight. He would tell me when we should walk and when we should stop. He held my hand until we were safely across. I didn\u2019t think about what would happen if a car hit us, because it never entered my mind that my dad would allow that to happen.
\nThis week as I thought about my dad, I thought how the Bible often uses the word \u201cFather\u201d to refer to God. The Lord\u2019s Prayer in Matthew\u2019s Gospel starts with the words \u201cOur Father\u201d, which amounts to us being able to say \u201cDaddy\u201d. The God of the universe, who has a trillion things going on at any one time, bends His ear to hear us. He has planets to watch over, leaders to bring down and to raise up. He\u2019s got billions of people to think about \u2026 and that\u2019s just a small piece of what it means for Him to be God every minute of every day. But with all that is going on, He wants us to call Him \u201cour Father\u201d. Think what that means for us. Our Father protects us. The Bible tells us that God never sleeps and never leaves us nor forsakes us. He provides what we need the most. That might not be what you wish for, but He supplies what you need the most \u2013 Himself. As I think about my Father, I think about this verse:<\/p>\n
\u201cHe will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.\u201d – Psalms 91:4 NLT<\/p>\n
You have a Father that loves you and desires you to be in relationship with Him. I pray that encourages you as much as it does me today. When we pray, we are praying to our Father who knows us better than we know ourselves.
\nHave a good week.<\/p>\n
Pastor Glyn<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Good morning, I grew up in the southern part of England. Like many children do, I looked up to my parents. I viewed the world through the lens of their reactions. This was especially the case for my dad because he was a policeman. I was proud of my dad. He provided for us and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1012,"featured_media":5378,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,6,46],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n