“As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.” - Psalm 103:13
As a parent I believe that sometimes children have to learn the hard way. You can spend half an hour arguing backwards and forwards with your teenage son about why he should wear a jumper to school when it's freezing outside or you can let him work it out for himself. However, I would never allow my child to learn how to cross the road themselves or why we aren't allowed to use the sharp knives in the kitchen!!
We all understand the boundaries of where it is safe to allow a child to grow through experience and where we step in and protect them even when they don't see it our way.
Our love for them motivates us to act in their best interests and our wisdom from life experience allows us to make the right call when we need to keep them safe.
How much more will the Lord act in this way towards us his children. Everyday he watches us journey through life. He creates situations where we learn to develop trust in his goodness and faithfulness and he goes before us protecting us from situations that could be harmful. Closing doors that would lead to heartache and opening doors of blessings.
Even when we chose to ignore his prompting and take our own path he does not walk away or give up on us. He is endlessly patient. Waiting and wooing us back to the gentle whisper of his voice
See the Lord today as your loving Father and take time to meditate on his heart to love and protect you. Feel the safety of his arms around you today and he will lead by his hand.