The Father's Great Love
>> Wednesday, November 7, 2012
His father watched from a distance as the young man hurriedly shoved
clothing into animal-skin bags and then stuffed the money he’d been given into
the remaining spaces. A smirk of
satisfaction played across the son’s face as he cinched the leather cords
tightly together.
"Good-bye, Father," the boy casually called back over his
shoulder as his sandals hit the dusty road – moving rapidly toward the crimson
sun just meeting the horizon. The old man's eyes remained fixed on the robed figure trotting into the
distance until his youngest completely disappeared from his sight.
"I will lift up mine eyes to the hills,
from whence cometh my help? My help
cometh from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved; He
that keepeth thee will not slumber"(Psalm 121:1-3), the father recited
aloud in low, broken tones. Weeping softly, he slowly dropped onto aging knees
beside the rolled bed mat. There he remained in prayer until the sun, that just
vanished, appeared again in gentle hues of pinks and violets.
The household returned to daily
chores with one less pair of hands to labor. From time to time, the ol'
gentleman cast a hopeful glance toward the west but his son did not reappear. Turning his focus from the mountain range
toward heaven, he prayed "I will
rest, in You, O Lord, and wait patiently for You" (Psalm 37:7).
Days turned into weeks and weeks
lengthened into seemingly endless months.
Rising early one morning, the father made his way in the coolness of the
day toward the stone well. Looking in
the distance beyond the well, the old man suddenly dropped the water jar. His heart overflowed with joy as he ran with
outstretched arms down the dusty road.
“Your beauty and love chase after me
every day of my life. I’m back home in the house of God forever!”
Psalm 23:6 MSG
(By Jill Glassco, author of The Schoolhouse, available online at Amazon.com)
0 comments:
Post a Comment