Resilient By Design

The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.

Psalm 103:13-14

The oft-repeated metaphor of God as our Father paints a portrait of God’s love for us as protecting, providing, guiding, teaching. It’s a love that is personal and intimate, tender and compassionate.

Your relationship to God as your Father can be the basis for restful living. Consider who your Father is. The fact that God is your Father is not just a lovely idea or a comforting thought. It has day-by-day, minute-by-minute practical effects in your life. He is your provider. He knows what you need and has already made arrangements to provide it. He’s going to take care of you.

Jesus portrayed the Father-heart of God in showing us that God is attentive to us and watchful over us. He directed us to consider how the lilies grow. Effortlessly. Without strain or anxiety. They simply receive what they need. They soak up the sun and the rain that the Father sends. They weather the droughts and endure the harsh seasons and then thrive again. Droughts end. Seasons change. The lilies of the field grow. God created them and designed them to receive and then to flourish.

If he created them so carefully, with resilience built in, surely his blueprint for us includes the ability to flourish under any circumstances. With God as our Father, we can live at peace. He will not lead us into disaster. He will not leave us on our own to wander into danger for which he has not planned our rescue. He always takes into account our frailty and puts his strength in its place. He carries us like a father carries his child. We are safe in his arms.

Dearest Father, you do not leave me exposed to any danger or lack. Though you have a universe to rule and manage, you know and care about the details of my life. God Almighty, Creator, Ruler, Sustainer—my Abba Daddy.

God incarnate is the end of fear, and the heart that realizes that He is in the midst will be quiet in the middle of alarm.

Alexander Maclaren(1826–1910), British preacher and Bible expositor