Saturday, June 14, 2008

The God of Our Fathers


(One of the earliest pictures I have of me and my Daddy)

"And when we cried unto the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression: And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders: And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey."Deuteronomy 26: 7-9

In this day and age to have or have had a Godly father is a rare blessing indeed! I'm so thankful that I had a Christian father and father-in-law and that my children have been blessed to have a Christian father in my husband. I look around me and wonder that God has blessed me in such a way when there are so many who may have no idea what it feels like to have a Christian father love and protect them.

"Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men." Psalm 12: 1

As far back as I can remember my Daddy stood for the things of God. He became a Christian at a young age and although he faced early sickness, the Great Depression, became a widower twice, had to bury two of his adult children, and six of his siblings, he still stood firm in his faith that God is in control and knows what is best for us. He totally believed this verse: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8: 28.

My father-in-law was such a delightful man in every way. One reason was his ability to have a good time wherever he was. He had a great sense of humor. He could tell such interesting tales of things he had done as a young man…like the time he wrestled with a bear. True! He really did! He didn't have a dishonest bone in his body and I appreciated every thing he did for me after I became a part of his family. "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine:" Proverbs 17: 22a

My husband has had more influence in my Christian life that anyone else ever has. I'm sure that our children could never have had a father more dedicated to the things of the Lord. One of his favorite verses is: "And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me." Hebrews 2: 13

This is the first Father's Day I have ever had without my Daddy. He passed away last August. So in his honor I want to include this poem that he wrote in 1991 when he was eighty years old.

"If You Want To Be Happy"

If you want to be happy and never alone,

Put your trust in Jesus and He will give you a song.

If you want to be happy, repent of your sins.

Put your trust in Jesus and let Him come in.

He will wash away your sins, and give you a new start.

He will always be with you through thick and thin.

He will stay by your side until the end.

And when you get to heaven, in that beautiful place,

He will say to our Father, "His sins are all lost,

For I paid for them when I died on the cross."

Then you will fall on your face

And thank Him for His wonderful grace.

And you will live forever in that wonderful place.

If you're reading this and are able to get in touch with your Father today, please do! Let him know what he means to you. He may be your best friend and your hero. Or he may not have been the best father. Whatever the case, if possible, give him the honor that is due him simply because he wears the name "Father".

"Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." Exodus 20: 12

May God bless you today…..

Marilyn

8 comments:

Leah Adams said...

What a wonderful post!!! I miss my Daddy so much. He went home to be with Jesus in Oct 2004. He was my hero and my knight in shining armor. I can't wait to see him again one day!!

Have a great Lord's day.

leah

Joyful said...

My Daddy is the Best! All my memories of time with my Dad are special, cherished ones. I just have to think of him and I smile. He's such a man of God. I have never doubted his love. He's been my biggest fan and greatest encourager. His integrity, patience, wisdom, joy, and faith have been such an example to me. He's trusted God through good times and difficult times. His example of "fathering" helps me trust in a loving Heavenly Father.

Today he (along with my Mom and 14 other family members) are coming for a barbecue. I cherish every time we get together. He's almost 83 years old. His health is a challenge. He struggles remembering things. He's often very quiet and not the storyteller and life of the party that he used to be...but, God has continued to grant him life and I'm so thankful. I love my Daddy.

Thanks for sharing your picture and memories. Beautiful.
Rejoicing in my Heavenly Father,
Joy

lori said...

Very touching post. Thats a great picture you have of you and your daddy!

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

My parents made the trip over this evening; we took them out to eat, along with my son for his birthday. I'm a firm believer in blessing our parents with our words. I've become more intentional about it in recent days.

Thank you for sharing your father's poem. I know it must mean a great deal to you to have his words in print forever!

Have a great week. I'm going to She Speaks on Friday and would appreciate your prayers.

peace~elaine

Shirley Mary said...

Marilyn, I'm so glad that you visited my blog and I have been blessed reading several of your post. And I plan to read more! Such a lovely poem that your dad wrote. I know you cherish his memories.

I see we have a number of things in common. I play the keyboard sometimes and was the church pianist for many years. I LOVE the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir and I have read many, many of Grace Livingston Hill's books.

I truly commend you on your volunteer work at the Pregnancy Center.

Have a great day!

mary

Jodie Wolfe said...

Hi Marilyn,
I first wanted to thank you for all the encouraging comments you put on my blog. It means a lot to me.

I loved the photo of you and your dad. That was precious. I am so sorry that you no longer have your Dad. I will be praying for you. My Dad went home to be with the Lord 17 1/2 years ago. He never got to see any of his grandchildren. I was pregnant with our oldest son when he died.

I pray you stay cool! :)

Blessings,
Pearls

Linda said...

This is a beautiful post Marilyn. I am so thankful that I still have my Dad with us. I know how blessed we are.
Thanks for your great suggestion. First I'd have to geat a CD player. I'm so behind on techy stuff. I still have my trusty old Walkman which would be a bit cumbersome in bed!!
Have a blessed day Marilyn.

Anonymous said...

Aunt Marilyn;

I loved this blog. Papa was a good man and went through so much tragedy, but still held firm his faith in God and He would see him through.

I love you for writing such a beautiful blog :)

Lisa