FATHER KNOWS BEST
Text: Matthew 7:9-11
I read a story of a father who was preparing to go on a trip to grandma’s house over the Thanksgiving Holidays. He describes the episode as if it were a theology lab. This father and mother began comparing their mental notes of spiritual perceptions. He said, “A journey is a journey, whether the destination be the Thanksgiving table or the heavenly one. Both demand patience, and a good sense of direction, and a driver who knows that the feast at the end of the trip is worth the hassles in the midst of the trip. ” (Max Lucado. The Eye Of The Storm. Dallas: Word Publishing, 199, p. 115). He continues as he says, “When I’m in the driver’s seat as the father of my children, I remember that I am in charge. But when I’m in the passenger’s seat as a child of my Father, I forget that he’s in charge. I forget that God is more concerned with my destiny than with my belly … And I complain when he says no” (pp. 116-117). What godly father could not relate this reflection to his own life to see how true it is? God is concerned about our desires, our direction and our destiny.
DESIRES
The things that we want are not always the things that we need. Someone expounds upon Matthew 7:11 this way: "If those whose goodness is mediocre at best are ready to take seriously the requests of their children, how much more will the heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him" (Dougals A. Hare). (Dougals A. Hare. Interpretation: Matthew. Louisville: John Knox Press, 1993, p. 79). All my life, I have heard that God always answers prayer. In one of his country music radio hits, Garth Brooks sings in a song about how he thanks God for unanswered prayer. Perhaps, by "unanswered prayer" Garth Brooks means not receiving the answer that one wanted to a given prayer. God always answers our prayers. All my life I have heard that God answers prayers in one of three ways, yes, no or wait.
Imagine that you were going on a trip to your grandmother’s house for some special occasion. Then, one of the children mention that they would like to stop and have some ice cream. Ice cream is something that we can do without. But, the child wants the ice cream. Just because the child asked for ice cream does not mean that he or she will get it. By the same token there are times when we ask God for things that we do not need. The reason that we do not always receive what we asked God to give us might be because it is sometimes God’s will for us to wait. Then there are other times when what we want is not in His plan for our lives because of how it might make us miserable, or hinder us.
Most children are not naturally aggressive. There are times when children might seem demanding, impatient or even perhaps unreasonable. They do not usually push themselves into the being the center of attention. I once read the story about a tiny boy who was seated at the dinner table in his high chair. "... Suddenly he threw his plate in to the floor. His mother was furious. "Go to you room!" she ordered. "You will take your meals there until you learn to behave properly!" The little fellow tried to defend himself but his mother silenced him. "You must learn to be courteous and polite," she declared.
“That evening the father gathered the family in the living room. “I want you to listen to something,” he said. “I had our new tape recorder on tonight during dinner, to see how it works. When I played the tape, I discovered something I think all of us should hear.”
“He started the recording and the family heard themselves as they had sounded at dinner that evening. Everyone seemed to be talking at once. Amid the chatter, they heard a tiny voice say, “Please pass the butter.” But no one seemed to hear. A bit later they heard the same voice, “Would someone please pass the butter?” After a while that little voice was heard again. “Please, please, pass the butter.” Finally, they heard the crash of the plate as it hit the floor. There was that small voice again, but this time it was loud and clear, “Pass the butter!” (Ernest A. Fitzgerald. Keeping Pace: Inspirations In The Air. Greensboro: Pace Communications, Inc., 1988, p. 258).
This story helps us to understand that children are not naturally aggressive. What this little boy wanted was not unreasonable. He just wanted someone to pass the butter. When the boy’s father had heard the recording, he set the record straight. This father was even admitting that he, too, had not been listening. In fact, he did two things for his son. First, he restored joy where the boy had become discouraged. Secondly, he was making it possible for everyone to understand that the boy had been misunderstood because he had not been heard. Sometimes we are like that. Sometimes we do not listen to each other over something as simple as “would you please pass the butter?” There are times when we do not understand each other because we are not really listening to one another.
DIRECTION
All Christian fathers want to give their children direction for living. We as fathers give our children direction by our way of discipline. By discipline, I mean instruction and correction. When our children have disobeyed us we need to discipline them. But, we need to remember not to be too harsh so as to provoke by exasperating them (Ephesians 6:4). We are urged to “Train them in the way that they should go so that they will not depart from it when they are older” (Proverbs 22:6). Somebody might ask, “Well what about the Prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32)?” The answer is this, the prodigal son did go astray in the far country. But, he remembered his roots because later he came back home.
Christian fathers need to pray for their children. When we pray for our children, we are asking God to help, guide and protect beyond our abilities to do so. All human fathers have limits. But, our Heavenly Father is not limited by any means! And when we pray to our Heavenly Father for wisdom and guidance, we are praying for the interaction the hands of our Creator, Sustainer and Redeemer who is all knowing (omniscient), everywhere (omnipresent), and all-powerful (omnipotent). Only our Heavenly Father has these unlimited capacities! Therefore, when we pray to God our Heavenly Father, we are praying that He will help us. We are praying that He will help us in our helplessness and give us hope in our uncertainties in all that we do as we seek to do our part in training our children up in the ways that they are to go and grow (Proverbs 22:6).
While I was working on this sermon, I looked up a prayer of General Douglas MacArthur. Listen to the wisdom and the insight of his prayer that I am going to read to you.
The General’s Prayer: by General Douglas MacArththur
"Build me a son, oh Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.
"Build me a son whose wishbone will not be where his backbone should be; a son who will know Thee, and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge. Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge.
"Here let him learn to stand up to the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail. Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.
"And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.
"Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, `I have not lived in vain.’ (Internet source http://my.dreamwiz.com/junewlee/prayers2.html#general).
DESTINY
I once had a church member who was concerned for his son’s future. Although, I must admit, I did not agree with the way he expressed this concern. His son had aspirations of going to college. His father had aspirations of his son going into the Coast Guard straight out of high school. I remember attending his sons’s seventeenth birthday party. His father gave him an unusual gift. He gave him some paper plates that were numbered. There were 365 plates in all. His dad had told him that he had 365 days left at home before he had to go out on his own. His father had a buddy from his days in the Navy who had once done the same thing for his son. I am sure that this young man’s father meant well. However, I am not sure that it was the best thing for his son. I was afraid it might cause resentment later on.
Our Heavenly Father is concerned for our future. God wants us to have a destiny that is completed when we get to heaven. God sent His only begotten Son so that we might learn from His example. Jesus reminded us of this fact when He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NIV). When we accept the grace and salvation of Jesus Christ, then we become God’s adopted sons and daughters.
God does not give out birthday presents of numbered plates. Nevertheless, we are reminded that our days are numbered. We are all pilgrims in this journey of life. If we let God have it His way, then one day we reach the end of our earthly journey and reach our heavenly destination. God has a place in heaven for all of His children. God wants us to make our days count for His glory during the journey. In the beginning, we spoke of a minister who was on his way with his family to grandma’s house for Thanksgiving. They knew that grandmother was expecting them. God is expecting us, when we get to the end of our journey here on earth.
