Catch Me, Daddy

WHERE ARE YOU, LORD?

Have you been there?  Are you there right now?  Are you tired, weary, and battle worn?

God is there.  He promises He is always with us.  But what about those times when we don't understand and we are asking questions but hear nothing?

I have this image that keeps replaying itself in my mind of a little girl standing on the side of a pool.  Her daddy is in the pool with his arms open saying, "Jump, honey, I'll catch you!"  The little girl gets ready to jump but still looks unsure.  Her body tenses like she will jump then it deflates as the doubt takes over.  Suddenly her face changes, she stands taller and backs away from the pools edge and with all she has she runs and jumps straight into her daddy's arms!  Of course he catches her and they laugh.  All the fear she felt has fully melted away as she says, "Do it again, Daddy!"

Some of us can relate to that image.  For others, it isn't so easy.

But God is that Daddy.  He is the perfect Parent!  When we are infants in Christ, God holds us just as surely and tenderly as a parent holds a newborn.  As we get older and mature He lets us take steps on our own but we still cling to His hand.  We grow to trust Him and know He is always there because we can feel Him.  But our loving Lord knows that faith is not about what we feel.  It is about putting one foot in front of the other even in the dark.

And He asks us to jump.

Wait...WHAT?  What do you mean, "Jump?"  He repeats the request and we say, Just come get my hand so I know you will catch me.  Doubts fill us, we tremble, we plead but God doesn't come to the side of the pool.  He waits.

And one of two things happen to us in that moment.  We either decide God has left us and we let the enemy win with fear and doubt OR we dig deep, remember the Hand that has never let us fall, back away from the edge, run, and JUMP.

His strong arms encircle us. Our fear is immediately forgotten because fear cannot be where love is and we lean our head back to look into His face and say, Do it again, Daddy!

"The Lord your God is in your midst,

A victorious warrior.

He will exult over you with joy,

He will be quiet in His love,

He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy."

~Zephaniah 3:17