Family Ties

John 15:18-27

I’m sure this has been a busy day for many people. Mother’s Day is a time when people do get together with their families. The family unit is important. When you are part of a family, you wear that family name and all the good and bad things of the family come with the name. Legally Dan is not yet a Molenaar. Hopefully in the next couple of months the Hong Kong government will give their final approval of his adoption and then the court in Orange City have to give their approval. After he receives full permission from the courts he will officially become a Molenaar. His adoption and everything that goes with it will be complete.

When you and I are adopted into Jesus family everything that comes with that title comes to us. We are officially his sons and daughters and we are identified with him. This past week I was struck by some verses found in I Peter 5. Peter writes these words to the children of God. "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety upon him because he cares for you." Isn’t that a beautiful description of a relationship between a parent and a child? Allow God to simply love and care for you. Rest in his grace and he will take care of you. It doesn’t matter if you are one month or 100 years old; God wants to care for you as a parent cares for a child.

This week I read a story in my devotions that really brought out to me the reality of God as my parent. I thought it fit in well for Mother’s Day. It is somewhat dated but it comes from a book called Prayer by O. Hallesby. Prayer is really an attitude of our hearts toward God. As such it finds expression, at times in words and at times without words, precisely as when two people love each other. As conscious personalities we must and should give expression to our attitudes in words one to another. It is this faculty which lifts the fellowship of human beings to such a high plane and makes it so rich.

But at the same time let us remind ourselves that life, in the last analysis, is inexpressible. There is something in our lives, also in our fellowships, which can never be formulated in words, but which can be common experience, nevertheless, of two who share with each other everything that can be expressed in words.

In the soul’s fellowship with God in prayer, too, there are things, which can and should be formulated in words. We have spoken of that in the proceeding. But there are also things for which we can find no words. Likely it is this to which the apostle makes reference when he speaks in Romans 8:26 of the "groanings which cannot be uttered."

My little boy came in one day and stuck his little head into the doorway of my study. Now he knew that he was not supposed to disturb me during working hours. And his conscience troubled him a little on account of this. But he looked at me nevertheless with his kind, round baby eyes and said, "Papa, dear, I will sit still all the time if you will only let me be here with you!"

That he received permission when he approached my father-heart in that way, every father knows.

That little experience gave me a great deal to think about.

Is not that just the way we often feel with regard to our heavenly father? We do so love to be with him, just to be in his presence! Moreover, we never disturb him, no matter when we come nor how often we come!

We pray to God. We speak to him about everything we have on our minds both concerning others and ourselves. There come times, not so seldom with me at least, when I have nothing more to tell God. If I were to continue to pray in words, I would have to repeat what I have already said. At such times it is wonderful to say to God, "May I be in thy presence, Lord? I have nothing more to say to thee, but I do love to be in thy presence."

We can spend time in silence together with people whom we know real well. That we cannot do with others. We must converse with them, entertain them either with interesting or profound things as the case may be. But with our own dear ones we can speak freely about common and insignificant things. In their presence, too, we can be silent. Similarly, it is not necessary to maintain a conversation when we are in the presence of God. We can come into his presence and rest our weary souls in quiet contemplation of him. Our groanings, which cannot be uttered, rise to him and tell him better than words how dependent we are on him.