I have been thinking about my kids lately and how they are growing into focused, disciplined, respectable, and God-fearing young women. In doing so, my mind kept returning to a time when they were about 7 or 8 years old, bathing poolside at a hotel. They had been at the hotel a day or so before me, and on the day I arrived, they were at the pool, you know, kids and water.

As I approached the pool, they saw me and got elated, then ran out in a mad rush, scrambling over one another to see who would reach me first. While running, both were shouting “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!”. As a man and a person who wants to be a good father, you cannot imagine the joy that fills your heart to see your children rushing towards you and shouting who you are to them, “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!” In that moment, I felt proud that my presence would bring them so much joy and happiness. A reception like that only makes you want to take care of and cherish them even more.

From a fatherly perspective, it’s wonderful to have your kids run to embrace you. Conversely, it’s equally wonderful for a child to have a father to run to! Many children don’t have parents or have parents who don’t act like true parents, leaving them alone and helpless. Oh, what a sad state to be in, a state where you don’t have a true father to run toward for a warm embrace or protection. But we, as children of God, are not so, for we have a faithful Father who watches over us. 

God wants me to write this blog today to remind someone that they have a Heavenly Father they can call upon. They have someone they can depend on in all seasons and in times of trouble. Many times, the situations and circumstances of this world make us feel alone and overwhelmed. Life’s situations even bend us to the breaking point, to the point where we feel that everything is closing in on us. But when life is closing in on us, that’s when God is closest to us.  

It is at these points that our metal is tested. But let it be known that our Father does not want us to go through hardship alone. The first thing we must do in times of testing is to look up and say, Father, Father, Father! I can unequivocally tell you I will never forget that feeling of walking to the pool and my children running to me and screaming Daddy, Daddy, Daddy. In that moment, nothing could have come between them and me and stopped me from rushing to pick them and hold them in my arms. That moment taught me a valuable lesson and showed me our heavenly Father in a new light. It showed me that when I call upon Him, He would come without hesitation. Even if the problem is not immediately solved, He will still come and stand by my side. You see, calling upon Jesus is not necessarily about him solving, but it has everything to do with Him coming. The Father will make everything better in His time, but in the meantime, He is with you until the end. This is why God says, “He will never leave us or forsake us, and He will be with us until the end”.

There is someone reading this blog today who might feel overwhelmed by life. You might be thinking that all is lost and you have given up hope. You might be thinking that you have fallen so far away from God that He would never take you back. You might be shaking your head and thinking the situation is too grim to see a flicker of hope. As our faces differ, so do our challenges, but you know what remains the same? The love of our Father and the way He reacts when we earnestly call upon Him. God has no other option but to run and come when we call.

Let me use another example with my kids to drive this point home. I was teaching both of them to ride a bike when they were around 6 and 7 years old. While I was attending to Ceanna on one bike, Maya was cycling on another. Then all of a sudden, I heard a crash, and Maya shouted, “Daddy, Daddy.” I immediately spun around and ran to Maya to pick her up from the ground. In that moment, nothing else mattered; instinctively, all I could do was run to my child with one thing in mind: to help. In that instant, I felt how God feels when we call upon His name. The scripture that speaks about leaving the ninety-nine (99) and going after the one was fully understood that day. Only a father puts his life on the line for one (1) and at the expense of everything else. Thank God for our Heavenly Father and his attributes of love.

These two personal moments have greatly enlarged my heart toward the Father’s love and understanding of Him. I know how I reacted when my kids passionately called out to me, be it running to me in joy or calling out to me in pain. My actions were the same, I MUST IMMEDIATELY COME CLOSE TO THEM TO COMFORT. If I, as an earthly man, can do this, imagine how God, who loves us more than our parents, will respond. Never forget that He sticks closer to us than a brother

I want to remind us of one thing today. We can call upon the Father. Be it “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy,” “Father, Father, Father,” or any other variant we prefer, I can guarantee that God will hear and come running instantly. If you must go into a room and lock yourself away from the world, then do that. If you must take time off work to pray and fast, then do so. If you must simply fall to your knees where you stand in this moment, then do that. Present yourself before God, be prepared to pour yourself out like water, and become naked and empty. The emptier you are, the more ready you will be to be filled. The more you pour yourself out, the more He will pour Himself in.

Dearest reader and friend, stop being in barran lands and facing life’s situations alone, desire to come out the wilderness and call upon the name of the Lord and be saved. By His nature, God is a Father and He will listen, please be a child and by nature call upon your Father! What kind of child does not call upon the name of their Father?

END

 PS: Dane Miller was last seen smiling and thinking, how good it is to have a Father to call upon!

Your Brother in the Lord,

Dane Miller – “God is the Author, I am the Pen”

Authored Book – What is the Woman Saying – Lessons from Biblical Women.

PS: I welcome your feedback on this blog post and encourage you to leave a comment below or subscribe.