A Father's Love

To Protect and Provide

Somewhere in time, a few months ago, we preordered the new Casting Crowns CD.  We ordered it mainly because my husband likes the song “Courageous”.  On the disc is a song that I wouldn’t normally attribute to Casting Crowns. Instead of being sung by Mark Hall as most of their songs are, the song is sung in a beautiful and very feminine voice.  The song is called, “Just Another Birthday.”

When I first heard the song it broke my heart. I think it’s hard for a girl to grow up in this day and age.  What they are shown on television and movies as the ideal female is fantasy.  Most magazine covers are touched up, so young ladies starve themselves to look like something that only exists in photo shop.  We trade timeless beauty for sex appeal.  We change gentleness for a smart mouth and quick wit.  But then I listened to a video where Mark Hall told why they wrote the song.  It was a wakeup call to fathers. 

Sixteen finds me

Blowing out candles and making wishes

And all around me

Is everyone but the one I’m wishing for

And he sent me flowers

And gift-wrapped excuses

From a daddy whose daughter

Wants to see him again

And I know, I know

It’s just another birthday

But I guess I thought

This would be the one

When he would call me, see me

Hold me and free me

But it’s just another birthday

And I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine

The story starts with an absentee father.  You know it is so difficult today.  Many girls are growing up fatherless.  Even the ones with fathers have trouble, because no father is perfect.  I started thinking, what is the role of a father.  There are many, but two of the things they are supposed to do are protect and provide. 

2 Corinthians 6:18 (NIV) “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

Even when our earthly Father’s fail us, God is still there.  He is there to fill in the gap and he protects and provides for us. 

We know God provides.  He promises to supply all our needs according to his riches and glory.  What could be better than that?  I don’t think we realize that he protects.  I know we pray for God’s protection every time we leave the house, but do we really believe that God watches over us?  What about all the bad things that happen. 

In the Bible, God gives us guidelines for living.  He tells us to live moral lives.  In this He is trying to protect us.  He does not want us pregnant and alone or dying from some sexually transmitted disease or heartbroken over giving so much to someone that was using us for his or her own pleasure. Telling us to stay away from that pain, is not a rule, but it’s love.

God also tells us to forgive.  We may have a perfect right to be angry, but the anger just eats us up inside.  The anger does not hurt the one who wronged us, but it does hurt us.  God tells us to forgive because He loves us and he does not want us to be hurt and bitter.  He wants us to trust him.

God also says other things in his word about not bearing false witness, not lying or stealing.  Put yourself on the other end of one of these actions.  How would you feel if someone were to tell a false story about you or steal from you?  I had my house broken into once, it felt terrible.  God tells us not to do these things because He loves us and He knows we can’t hurt others and leave ourselves unhurt, He wants to protect us.

We have a habit, of living how we want to live, but when things fall apart, we question God.  If we had followed him all along, maybe things wouldn’t have fallen apart.

People, who don’t know Christ, think He is a hard task master, demanding perfection from his followers.  They couldn’t be more wrong.  He is a loving father, trying to protect his children.

I think that puts a whole new perspective on the Ten Commandments.  They are not orders from on authoritarian God, but directions from a loving father.  Just like the ones we might have received from our earthly fathers telling us to look both ways before crossing the street or not to stick your finger in the light socket.  He was trying to protect us, just like God does.

God is the father we always wanted and we don’t always realize it. 

At the end of the song, it says God is a father to the fatherless. Isn’t that is an amazing thought.

Psalm 68:5 (NIV) “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.”

The next time you feel you really need a loving Father, just remember He left us a love letter (the Bible) and He is just a prayer away.   

  

Casting Crowns - Just Another Birthday from providentlabelgroup on GodTube.