Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Download MP3 (right click to save)
Our son-in-law has done our family a great favor. He took our clunky, old Super 8 movies and put them onto a DVD so we could watch them a little more easily. And not long ago I was watching a scene with our oldest son that really brought back some, well, tender feelings.
He was probably I guess four years old or so. We were at a tourist attraction on vacation. You could tell he was tired, he was in a new place, and there were a lot of new people around. You know where he was? Here we go, all snuggled up in my arms. He had his head on my shoulder, oh, and his trademark position. He's the only one of our kids that ever did this. He would take the collar of my shirt and put that in his ear with one hand and then he'd suck his thumb with the other hand. And that was just last week! No, no, no I'm just kidding. Today, well, he's gone into God's work, he's been a missionary to Native Americans. Now, we still have a very close bond, although I have to tell you, he hasn't been interested in his thumb or my collar for a number of years now. But that's why this home movie means a lot to me, for more reasons than one.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Daddy, Carry Me."
Our word for today from the Word of God: Deuteronomy 1, beginning at verse 29. God is talking to His people and He says, "I said, 'Do not be terrified. Do not be afraid of them. The Lord your God, who is going before you will fight for you as He did for you in Egypt before your very eyes and in the desert. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you as a father carries his son; all the way you went until you reached this place.'"
I can't read this without remembering that home movie of my son and seeing myself in the movie. Except I'm the little guy and God is carrying me. I'm snuggled in His arms. Now, there are two times that a child tends to say, "Daddy, carry me." One is when kids are too tired to go on. And maybe you're there. You've got nothing left to give. "Daddy, carry me." Another time is when a child is fearful. They're in a situation where they've never been before. It's scary. Maybe you're frightened. Maybe you're unsure. Maybe something's going on with one of your kids, or your finances, or your marriage. Maybe you're suddenly alone. It could be an issue or a responsibility that has depleted all the resources you've got. You say, "I can't go any further."
The Israelites would have never made it through the wilderness. They would have never made it to the edge of The Promised Land, if they had to get there on their own strength and courage. They ran out. And God says, "I will carry you, my children. You will be safe in your Father's arms." That could be a picture of you right now. God's inviting you to stop trying to make it on your own, trying to depend on your own resources, trying to size up whether you should even decide to go on based on what you think you can do. When a father carries a son, it has nothing to do with the resources of the one being carried. It's all about how strong the one carrying you is.
Maybe you're like me. You like to tough it out. "I can figure out something here. I'll find a way. I can make it happen. I can handle this." Right now it's time for you not to do that. It's time for you to collapse in your Daddy's arms and try to find out how powerful He is. You say, "Lord, I've got no strength. I've got no energy to contribute. I'm not going to make it on my own." Well, that's a powerful moment. Your powerlessness - a powerful moment. That's the moment of really feeling His love, experiencing His take-over and sensing the release of His power into your exhaustion.
What's the result? Well, I know. Because I've carried a tired, scared child, and it bonds you incredibly. Allow yourself to surrender your strength for your Father's strength. Don't walk one more step on your own. Let Him carry you. "I carried you through the desert all the way," He said.
You collapse in your Daddy's arms and that will bring the two of you close as nothing else can.