In My Father’s Hands
Scripture Reading — John 17:20-26
“Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.”
When our youngest daughter was a baby, I could hold her in my right hand. I would toss her above my head and catch her on the way down. She would beam with excitement, her shiny eyes like sliver moons. On the second trip up, a delightful giggle would tumble out from deep within her.
Though I was throwing her into the air, there was no fear in her expectant gaze—only trust. She was literally in her father’s hands, hands that had never dropped her, that had always cared for her, that had always tried to protect her.
I was more than ten times her weight, more than thirty times her age. My vocabulary and range of knowledge were far more complex than hers. Yet she had captured my heart as only one’s child can.
In the Bible God reveals himself as our Father. I am a child of God. So are you. God wants us to know him more personally, more intimately. The Bible is God’s long love letter that shares his heart for his children.
Salvation in the Bible is so much more than just escaping the punishment for our sin. Salvation is adoption into a family, a homecoming to an extravagant celebration, an inheritance of all the riches of the Father’s lavish love. Have you been adopted into God’s family?
Thank you, Father, for the amazing privilege of being your child. May childlike joy be restored to our lives and nurture a playful faith that trusts your unfailing hands. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
About the author — Rob Jansons
Rob Jansons is the pastor of New Hope Fellowship in Monroe, Washington, where he has served for almost twenty years. He and his wife, Sue, have been married since 1989 and have three daughters. Rob spends time each year in Calcutta, India, working with a Christian ministry to children living in slums. He enjoys hiking in the Pacific Northwest, camping with his family, reading, writing, and being a pastor.
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