Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: THE WHOLE WORLD IN GOD’S HANDS (not the song) (05/28/15)
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TITLE: What Hands Hold | Previous Challenge Entry
By Matt Guddat
06/04/15 -
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Chapter one through to seven all begin with the same gut-felt plea which is penned simply as “my Son listen”. It’s for this reason the Bible's greatest book of wisdom falls out of place when it’s not seen in the context of a fathers heart throb.
The word father and son have taken on a new meaning since my wife and I recently graduated into parenthood, a place where I'm fast learning insomnia and headaches are gratis.
Despite quickly learning how little I know about fatherhood, within months I catch myself trying to teach life lessons to a baby. This manifests through reading Bible stories, instigating crawling lessons, dancing classes and via other creative avenues.
“What am I doing?” a rhetorical question I often ask myself. My son can’t read, understand or interpret any of my actions yet I still lie on my belly and flail my arms in crawling motions.
What I'm doing is simply being a father. It’s what we do. We impart knowledge. With eagle eyes we wait for opportunities in which we can help train our child in the way we wish them to go. We want to help them forward.
In a beautiful parallel I am caught off guard by The Fathers love as I read His pleas to me through Solomon’s writings. I am His son and it is His good pleasure to impart what He knows. More than being good pleasure it’s His heart throb. That’s what fathers delight to do.
For a God who holds the whole world in His hands I'm in wonder at what He has to impart. He knows everything. Yet in His vast knowledge He stoops down to hold my world in His hands with all my cares, worries and concerns.
If I could purée this into a simple philosophy I’d say “He holds me”.
Then why do I continue to find myself dazed, lost and bewildered by life’s situations? Does He not still hold my answer in His hands? Maybe. The wonderful discovery I'm making is that He doesn't always give the answer but prefers to extend His wisdom.
This is best demonstrated in the story of Jamie, my son, who just the other day could not quite reach his favourite toy. Rather than hand over the goods I supported his legs so he could push against some resistance and thus propel himself forward (to his great delight).
This is a picture of Proverbs. Even more so a picture of a Father who loves us. After rescuing us from sin He now calls us sons (and daughters) and propels us forward by imparting wisdom.
While quick answers may suffice in some situations, wisdom sees a bigger and longer goal. I can now see the Fathers heart is to train me in the way I should go so that one day I’ll be capable of standing on my own two feet with Him beside me.
He has things for me to carry that are to weighty for me now and I suppose this is the parallel for most of us. Our capacity to carry the good works He has called us to aren't reached in a dependence on answers but on His wisdom imparted in us. We need to grow.
Wisdom then is there for us to grasp that we might live a fruitful existence. In my life the Father can be heard calling me into wisdom and though it is up for the taking I'm finding it only transfers when I incline my soul to seek it.
In the aftermath of such times I find my world is once again held in His hands.
My son, if you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you,
making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
For the LORD gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding
Proverbs 2:1-5 ESV
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