Our Father, Not Our Grandfather

I had a great time this afternoon. While my wife went grocery shopping for our family I got to take my four-year-old granddaughter grocery shopping just for her. I carried the basket and she picked out the things we needed. The following is what was in our basket when she declared we were finished.

1. A bag of Doritos
2. A small helium filled balloon
3. Two Pez dispensers (one for her and one for her sister)
4. A box of animal crackers
5. A card filled with hair clips with happy faces
6. A card filled with heart stickers
7. A big sticker of a soccer ball
8. 5 super balls
9. A pair of star shaped sunglasses
10.A bag of popcorn
11.Silly shaped drinking straws

Now I understand why the Bible refers to God as our Father and not our Grandfather. God does not give us everything we pray for because like human fathers He knows better than to give a child carte blanche. Just as a human father fills the grocery basket with nutritious food God responds to our prayers by supplying real needs. A human father puts things in the basket a child would never dream of and our heavenly Father in His infinite wisdom puts marvelous things in our basket. He gives us things we need before we know we need them.

Ephesians 3:20, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, . . .”

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 24, 2002
Spring of Life, 151 Old Farm Rd. Leominster, MA 01453