Warriors Arise: August 19, 2022
1 Samuel 17:58b (NKJV) So David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”
I have a pretty fabulous Dad, my earthly father. God is my amazing heavenly Father, of course. But I am also blessed with a Dad who loves the Lord, his wife, his children, grandchildren and great grand children. He fully embraces his calling and lives a life of honor. Was he perfect? Absolutely not. But if he was, he would be God and I can tell you he isn't. That right there is a major problem most people have with God. They compare their earthly father to God. First of all, that is too much pressure and expectation to place upon a man. They cannot measure up to God. God is perfect in all His ways. His counsel will never be wrong, because He knows the beginning from the end and everything in between. Your earthly father does not. He knows what he has learned and experienced but he is not perfect. Many may try to be and we are all told in Ephesians 5:1 to be imitators of God. However, we must come to terms with our earthly fathers being human.
When you and I can separate our expectations of our earthly father from God our Heavenly Father, we will be able to receive from both what they have to offer us. However, when we expect our earthly father to be like God, we are in error. Our expectations are wrong. We will be discontent and unappreciative of the blessing we have in our earthly father. When we expect him to be and operate like God then we set our earthly father up to fail.
When you and I can separate our view of and relationship with our father from our view or and relationship with God, then we can fully embrace our dad and all he has to offer, even his mistakes and mishaps. Without judgment we can learn from him. However, separating our view of and relationship to God from our earthly father will increase our view of and relationship to God.
When we combine the two we tend to humanize God and glorify our earthly father. This causes us to think God can do less, make mistakes, and can't possibly know the answer we need. As well as casting us to think our earthly father has to do more, be perfect and have the right answer every time. It is quite the oddity, but this thought pattern and behavior toward God being human and our earthly father being perfect are truer than we would like to think.
Years ago, God was teaching me this very point. I had put heavy expectations on my dad being perfect, like God. In turn, I had humanized God. I didn't think He could do the miracle, give me wisdom, or provide for me. But when I corrected my thinking, it changed my expectations of my dad and gave God His rightful place in my life. I honor my dad and receive strength and wisdom, but I no longer expect him to be perfect. I used to turn to my dad when there was a need for God in my life. Now, I turn to God when there is a God-need in my life.
When I got married I had to learn not to place my husband in God's position. My husband is human and will make mistakes and I will extend grace, love, and honor. I learned to turn to God for God things. It totally releases my husband to live his day not feeling defeated, because he wasn't perfect. It released him to turn to God. The Bible tells us, "In my weakness, He is strong." We need to allow our dad and our husband to be human and allow them to seek God for their own strength, courage and wisdom. Same goes for women and wives. Women are to seek God for their own strength, courage and wisdom. God is glorified when we have received from Him and follow His lead. Victory will be ours.
Father, thank you for all You are doing in my life. Thank you for teaching me to see my dad as human so I could take the pressure off of him. He is not God. I am thankful He submits His life to You and follows You. I will not put pressure on my dad or my husband to be perfect. You are perfect and I will turn to You for strength, courage and wisdom. You are God and there is no other. Forgive me for switching the roles. I was wrong. You are my God. I will not minimize You to human error. I will give grace and honor to my dad and my husband. Help me to keep these roles and expectations clear in Jesus' name amen.
A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,
Veridee Joy Hand
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