Steadfast love is real
God is a good father and He is our father and His love is steadfast.
Have you ever read the stories about the lost sheep, the lost coin or the lost son in Luke? There is a pattern in each of these stories. Something very precious to the owner gets lost, but after great effort and sacrifice it is found again. This is how Father God feels about us, His love for us, His precious children is steadfast and unshaken.
Jesus talks about how if one sheep goes missing from a flock, wouldn’t the shepherd leave the rest of the ninety-nine to go out and search for it? A shepherd cares for each individual in his flock, just as God does for each of His children. This is God’s father heart towards us. He has a deep and steadfast compassion for us, individually and collectively. And this means that He will always go after the one sheep because it is so precious to Him.
The prodigal son returns home
The last parable in chapter 15 of Luke talks about the prodigal son and how there was a huge celebration when the son, having squandered great wealth and opportunity, returns home to his father. Even though he was unfaithful, disrespectful and irresponsible, the father doesn’t send him away or punish him as one would expect. Instead he joyfully and unconditionally embraces his son and restores him.
In Jesus, we are God’s very special children, adopted as His own (Galatians 3:26). This is one of the ways God reveals His love for us today. Not only does He go after the one who is lost, but He celebrates the return of His children and reminds them who (and whose) they are.
God responds to His children
God’s response is good, especially to His children. David put his trust in this truth about His Heavenly Father. In Psalm 23, David, who is a shepherd himself, declares that God is his shepherd and because of this, He trusts God to provide for all his needs and to take good care of him. He speaks of God as someone who will lead him beside quiet waters for rest, allow him the space to enjoy green pastures and lead him along the right paths. What I love about this response is that David trusts that God is who He says He is, our father.
Never forget that you are a child of God, loved dearly by Him. And He is a good, good Father.
