Morning Devotional

July 21, 2003

“Hey, Bud”  

by Don Emmitte

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Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will hold me close. Teach me how to live, O LORD. Lead me along the path of honesty, for my enemies are waiting for me to fall. Do not let me fall into their hands. For they accuse me of things I've never done and breathe out violence against me. Yet I am confident that I will see the LORD's goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD. (Psalm 27:10-14 NLV).

One of my familiar greeting when I talk to my sons is “Hey, bud, how’re ya doin’?” It’s a signal for both of us that we can spend as much time talking as we desire. Those talks have been serious at times. At others they have been frivolous and simple in their content. All of them have been important! I am so grateful that I have been able to talk to them. And, I know they feel the same way about me.
 
It is tragic that many today don't or didn't have a father in their home at all. The statistics are staggering. Some have deep wounds and have built walls around their hearts because of the resulting pain. A friend who works for the prison system once told me that a compassionate counselor announced that any prisoner who would like a "father" to talk to should come to the prison grounds at a specific time on a certain day. The counselor sat in a chair with an empty chair beside him. Long before the specified time the line began to form. When the hour arrived for the "father talk" to begin, the line wrapped clear around the grounds. The officials were amazed. These prisoners were hungry for a father figure, and for meaningful conversation with personal words of concern from this stand-in father. It was a remarkable day!

Perhaps you too need a father to talk to. We still need our fathers even when we are grown. Maybe you grew up without a father at home, or maybe he was just distant and through no fault of his, you just needed more from him than he was able to give. You may not be able to do anything about not having the earthly father you needed, but God reveals to us in our reading today that He desires to be such a Father. And, unlike any who are earthly, He is the perfect Father and He knows you intimately.

He wants you to come to Him today and cast your cares on Him for He cares for you. He has all the time in the world. And best of all, He loves you. Imagine He is sitting in a chair waiting for you. And, you need not come and merely sit beside Him. You may come and sit with Him. He invites you to be His special child to give you His undivided attention for as long as you may desire it. What a Father He is! Come to Him today!