Parent - Child Relationship (Psalm 111:7)

Everyday, The Lord is working in your life.  Regardless of whether you recognize it or not, he is.  As your Heavenly Father, his works are governed by his attributes or in other words, his works are forced to stay within the boundaries set forth by his love, mercy, and holiness.  Never are his works able to be unloving, cruel or sinful.

From this scripture, we can see that whatever he does will be in verity (trustworthiness), judgment (right) and sure (as a fostering parent).  Stop and think, is not this how we strive to treat the children we love?  Are not these qualities the same as when be grant or deny them permission, lead them in decision making, or correct wrong behavior?  When they fail to understand and question your motives, how do you feel? What do you think? And what decisions are you forced to make because of it?

God, our Father, is placed in the same position when we question what he has brought or allowed to come into our lives.  We question when sickness comes.  We question when children fail to turn out as expected.  It seems that the greater the trial, the more our hearts lean towards questioning the Father's motives and love.

What we must recognize is that God, as a parent, is fostering or building us up.  Yes, he wants to protect us and provide for all our needs, but sometimes the greater need is something more than tangible objects or a life of ease and pleasure.  How he develops us to be thankful, to appreciate, to minister to grieving people, to be patient and to increase faith usually can only come through situations greater than our strength can bear, which we simply call trials.  A life without trials would be a life that is not growing in the most needy areas of development.

So, as you think of the trial you are experiencing now or as you face new trials, will you respond to God in the same manner as your teenager responds to your decisions that they don't understand or will you, by faith, submit to his loving plan and allow him to do his perfect work in your life (James 1:4).