Our Heavenly Father loves us. He does not take the lion’s share of the family’s goods and spend the goods on selfish pleasures. Some earthly fathers drink the family’s income away. Some gamble it away. Some betray the family by forsaking them to join themselves with a stranger. Some are just self-absorbed with personal interests or hobbies around the home and do not give their family members any loving attention.
Our Heavenly Father is not like so many heads of nations who steal from the national treasuries to provide for themselves every kind of fleshly pleasure while many in their nation suffer from deprivation of basic necessities. How many wars? How many line items on national budgets are money laundering schemes to line the pockets of the heads of nations?
Our Heavenly Father is not like them. He knows how many hairs are on our heads. He promises to provide food and clothes for us as we prioritize receiving and implementing instruction and guidance from Him. He keeps His promises.
“Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” [1]
Our Heavenly Father paid off our sin debt. We all have sinned against God, against people and against ourselves. Our Heavenly Father provided His own sinless Son as a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus willingly gave up His life on the cross, like a lamb to the slaughter, for our atonement, that is to blot out the criminal charges of sin against us so that our Heavenly Father could justly pardon our sins and remember them no more. Praise the Lord!
I am amazed how God our Father provided detailed descriptions about the Messiah’s story hundreds of years before He arrived to confirm to us that Jesus is the Messiah that He sent.
For example, when the Roman soldiers took the garments of Jesus and tore the garments into four parts, one part for each solder. Then, cast lots for the tunic. These are exact details of what happened on crucifixion day. “...that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: ‘They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.’ Therefore the soldiers did these things.” [2]
This passage also alludes to the fame of Jesus. Great crowds had followed Him. King Herod had wanted to see Jesus. The religious authorities crucified Jesus due to their jealousy of Him. Four soldiers wanted His clothing and each one got a piece. But as to His tunic, they gambled for it rather than tear it apart.
The burial of Jesus by a rich man fulfilled a prophesy spoken by the prophet Isaiah. Joseph of Arimathea asked the Roman Governor for the body of Jesus. And another rich man, Nicodemus, provided special spices for the burial of Jesus. They placed His body into a walk-in tomb rather than burying it in the ground. This way, Jesus did not need to ascend from underneath dirt, He could just sit up and return to the land of the living easily. [3]
Jesus resurrected from the dead. He ate with His disciples and they touched Him to confirm that He was not a ghost. Over 500 witness saw Jesus at one time. He walked among people for forty days, and then, ascended to heaven. He will return again. [4]
“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? [5]
The key to receiving from our Heavenly Father is to trust in Him. To believe He is a much better father than any earthly father. And then to ask Him plain and simple for help.
“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” [6]
The Father’s good things include more than food, clothing, shelter and protection. He also assures us that He sees us, delights in us and that He loves us.
[1] Matthew 6:33
[2] John 19:23-24
[3] John 19:38-42
[4] 1 Corinthians 15:3-9; Luke 24:41-43; John 20:27; Acts 1:3, 11
[5] Romans 8:31-32
[6] Matthew 7:11
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