By Gina Caswell Kelly
“He tends his flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs in His arms
and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads those that have young.”
Isaiah 40:11
This is such a beautifully sweet verse that shows the most tender side of the Father. We are His flock. This verse is talking about us. We are the ones He gathers in His arms. We are the ones He carries close to His heart. We are the ones that He watches over so carefully. This wonderful Father is caring for us.
I am always amazed and overwhelmed when I think about the fact that this all-powerful God Creator, who created all things is also carrying me close to His heart. Me! And you! It is absolutely unbelievable to me that He has so much strength and power, yet takes the time to hold us close to Him.
In Psalm 116, David writes, “Because He will bend down to listen, I will pray to Him all my life.” Can you see the imagery here? Like a loving father bending down to be able to hear every word their child is saying, our heavenly Father bends down to hear our prayers as we talk to Him. There is just such a sweetness there. The tenderness of a loving and patient Father.
David recognizes the amazingness of this One who cares so deeply about each of us. In Psalm 8, he writes, “Who am I that You are mindful of me? The son of man that You care for him.” Even David, whom God described as a “man after My own heart,” was amazed at the tender loving care of the Father. And we should be too.
Who are we that this God loves us like He does? Who are we that God loved us so much that He sent His only Son to live as a man and die on a cross for us so we could have the promise of eternal life? Who are we that this One would do all this for us?
We are God’s children. That is who we are. We are made in His image. We are made to love others. We are made to show the world this wonderful Father we serve. We were made by Him, for Him. He wants to spend time with us. He wants us to get to know Him. As I get older and my kids get busy, and my grandkids grow up, they are less interested in spending time with me. Sometimes you get so lonely for their presence in your life. You get a longing to be able to just sit and talk and listen to their voices. It is the same with God. He loves us so much, and He wants time with us. And we should want time with Him.
This One who carries us close to His heart and gathers us in His arms, wants to spend time with you. This One who loved you so deeply that He sent His own Son to die on the cross for you wants to spend time hearing your voice. Give Him your time today.
Time with the Father will always make a difference!
