When the father speaks
Maybe you don’t have an earthly father that you can go to, but there’s a heavenly Father.
God the Father still speaks, and the Bible does a good job backing-up this truth.
“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God and the Word was God…So the word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son” (John 1:1, 14 NLT). There is no greater way to communicate than to be as near in truth and heart as possible, and that’s exactly what God did.
He found it necessary enough to become like the human-beings he so faithfully loved. Through a manger in Bethlehem he appeared, fully human yet fully God. “No one has ever seen God. But the unique one [Jesus Christ], who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us” (John 1:18 NLT). And he still does. Ask an early-day Christian, and they would tell you the revelation of God. They experienced the sight of people being healed and listened as God’s son spoke directly to their lives. Today, God speaks through the sermons, Bible studies, encounters, and everyday situations. No matter how, when, and where God speaks, he has a message of hope in store for you.
A few months ago, my earthly father made a very large impact on me with the words he said. He probably doesn’t remember them because they weren’t part of a big deal. But sometimes the small things fathers say heal, help, and guide their children.
I had lost a school assignment that was due the next day. Losing patience from searching for this particular paper, I quickly became quite upset and stressed. So in midst of my pain and desperate searching, my dad decided to try and help me find the paper. In all honesty, my patience didn’t need another person in the room telling me things I already knew. Words like, “It wouldn’t be in there!” and “I can do this” were either leaving my mouth or dwelling within my mind.
My mind was made up and my pride was set. And then, something happened. After following the advice of my father, I found what I needed to find. But I must say, I don’t know if this would have been possible if my dad didn’t pray first. God the Father did have a role in this, and he has a role in your life too.
This article has two major purposes: to tell about the greatness of a father and how God the Father has been speaking to you.
Soon after my dad helped me find the school assignment, I wrote down four stages of response that I visited. Truth is, although they may not be in perfect order for every person, many people go through these stages when God the Father speaks to them. Some may not go through them all.
You Lose Patience
This was the first stage I wrote down because it was the first I encountered. All of us have lost patience when a father speaks to us. We just can’t stand the advice. After all, we believe we can do it alone. But trust me, you can’t. This is true if your earthly father offers help or the heavenly Father offers you salvation. Don’t turn them down for lack of patience. When a Father speaks, have some patience because his wisdom and direction will suit you well. Especially God’s.
In Matthew chapter 13, Jesus speaks the Parable of the Four Soils. He talks of four different seeds that were put in four different soils. As he later explains, the seeds that were planted represent God’s word, and the soils represent what that message was either supported by or destroyed by in one’s life.
The stage “You Lose Patience” is most like the seed that fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. “…The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died” (Matthew 13:5-6 NLT). God the Father speaks and pierces the heart, but you don’t have enough patience to withstand it. Therefore, they don’t have the patience to develop deep roots and withstand the problems or persecution that comes in their lives.
People that seem to do as little as possible in their response to the Father are those that are likely to be in this stage. They are still saying, “I can do it alone.”
You Strive to Finish Your Way
Many people are stuck within the boundaries of this stage. They will spend the rest of their lives believing they are good enough—that is, good enough on their own to get to Heaven. But they don’t just believe it, they try to prove it. This is the proving stage.
The Father in Heaven has spoken to you. But you know all too well than what he has to say. You feel like you can do it, and it is in your best interest to prove it to him. This is what I tried to do to my dad many weeks ago. However, I failed to prove anything. He was right. I was wrong. This is the same with God. He never has been wrong.
The third seed and soil that Jesus talked about in Matthew 13 has most to do with this stage. He said, “Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants” (Matthew 13:7 NLT). Your way gets in the way of God’s, and God’s word gets choked.
When Jesus explained this seed and soil, he said, “The seed that fell among the thorns represent those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced” (Matthew 13:22 NLT).
When you feel you can make it on your own, do life your way, and believe that things of this world has little effect on you, God’s voice will be smothered and forgotten.
You COULD Realize He is Right
This can either be the awakening stage or the ignorance stage. We learn more about this in Matthew 13.
Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?”
Jesus said, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. That is why I use parables, for they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand” (Matthew 13:10-13 NLT).
During this stage, you realize there is something great about the Father. Some realize he is right. This is what I did with my earthly father. However, some are too ignorant or hard-hearted. Jesus even mentioned that they “look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand” (Matthew 13:13 NLT). They saw how Jesus healed, but they didn’t really see it. They heard his marvelous words but refused to listen. The choice is yours, even when the evidence is clear.
Jesus said in Matthew, “As he scattered them [seeds] across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them” (Matthew 13:4 NLT). Jesus later explained what this meant when he said, “The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message of the kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts” (Matthew 13:19 NLT).
Let the seed take root and grow. Don’t let the devil snatch it away like those Jesus spoke of.
You Truly Accept Him
I pray that everyone would be able to truly accept the Father in Heaven. I chose to accept my earthly father after realizing what he did for me.
The last seed and soil that Jesus spoke of is what goes best with this stage. He said, “Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” (Matthew 13:8 NLT). Jesus later explained this when he said, “The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” (Matthew 13:23 NLT).
Notice that God the Father doesn’t only want you to accept him. He wants you to produce fruit. That means he wants you to speak for him and proclaim the Good News of Jesus to others. That way, they can accept him too.
By accepting Jesus, you become God’s child. John 1:12 says, “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.”
How will you respond when the Father in Heaven speaks?
