Worship Devotional LXXVIII
Originally posted to the Facebook group on 6/19/2021.
Worship Devotional for 6/20/21
~ Father's Day ~
For the past several weeks we have been singing about the triune nature of the one true God, Jesus the Son of God, the Holy Spirit, the salvation of God which He has given to His people, and who we are as the church of God, the people who have been called by His name and redeemed for His possession and glory. This has all been building up to this Sunday, on which we acknowledge and celebrate fatherhood. This week we sing and praise God for being our Father. He has redeemed us by the blood of His Son, sanctified us by His word and by His Spirit, and adopted us into His family as His children.
At some point in our lives, each of us has to ask the deepest questions about the world and our place in it. We wonder who we are, why we are here, and what the purpose of our lives is. As we turn to the Father in heaven and consider that aspect of His nature and character, we begin to learn our true identity. The things of this world which we previously tried to build an identity for ourselves upon, when set in the light of our heavenly Father, are revealed for what they are: false, worthless, and quickly fading away. The only basis for a real, meaningful, and true identity comes from knowing God as our Father. So as we sing these songs and meditate on the Scriptures, let your heart come before the Father who loves you with an everlasting love that is far greater than anything you could ever face. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will provide for all your needs and bless you abundantly as you seek Him above all else, fear and honor His name, and trust in Him with all your heart.
Ephesians 3:14-21:
"For this reason I kneel before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit, and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God's love, and to know the Messiah's love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us — to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."
Songs:
Many people have deep and painful wounds from the failings of their earthly fathers. Father's Day can be a difficult or confusing time for them. The word "furious" may spark negative emotions, memories, etc. But there is good news. Our Father in heaven is not some dead idol, incapable of doing or saying anything. He is the one true and living God, the eternal Creator and Sustainer and Judge of all things. He doesn't sit idly by while things just happen. He is always at work, and His works are eternal, powerful, wonderful, good, true, righteous, and just, executed in perfect love for our good and His glory. While the sinful fury of men causes much pain and grief in the world, God's righteous fury is greater. He is not furious in an evil way, selfish and without just cause. Instead He is driven by love, because love is who He is. Where our earthly fathers have brought pain and brokenness, the heavenly Father will instead bring healing and restoration. While earthly fathers may be furious against their children at times, the heavenly Father is furious for His children and for their good. Our Father in heaven is passionate for us, even though we have been rebellious and sinful toward Him! Because of His great love, He fought for us and achieved victory for our salvation, which we could never attain on our own. No matter what your experience has been with your earthly father, you have a Father in heaven who is perfect and who loves you.
2) Father You Are All We Need by Citizen's & Saints
Matthew 6:9-13:
"Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, Your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
Matthew 6:31-34:
"So don't worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Our Father in heaven is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. There is nothing too great or too difficult for Him. So why do we worry about our lives and whether or not our needs will be met? It is because we do not trust our Father as we should. Instead, we so often run to worldly things that can only offer empty promises of fulfillment, but leave us broken and desolate. The Father loves us and is more than able to provide for everything we need and more. So let us run to Him in faith and seek Him above all else, relying on His promise to give us everything we need as we seek Him first.
3) Run To The Father by Cody Carnes
Our God is the only One whose love is true and eternal. He foreknew each and every one of us from before time began, and He predestined to save us and adopt us as His own through the sacrifice of His Son. The time has come to stop hiding from Him, wandering in a desolate wasteland as we chase after worthless things. Instead, we run to the Father in faith, falling into His arms of grace, and trusting Him in every circumstance of our lives.
4) How Deep The Father's Love For Us by Stuart Townend
Romans 5:1-11:
"Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have also obtained access through Him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
For while we were still helpless, at the appointed moment, Christ died for the ungodly. For rarely will someone die for a just person — though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us! Much more then, since we have now been declared righteous by His blood, we will be saved through Him from wrath. For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by His life! And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have now received this reconciliation through Him."
1 John 3:1-3:
"Look at how great a love the Father has given us that we should be called God's children. And we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn't know Him. Dear friends, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him because we will see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself just as He is pure."
Theme(s): God the Father, the Father's love
Scripture references:
Deuteronomy 4:24, 32:1-9
Psalms 2, 68, 103
Isaiah 64:4-8
Malachi 2:10, 3:16-18, 4
Matthew 5-7, 10:26-39, 11:25-30
Luke 10:21-22, 11:1-13, 12:4-34
John 1:1-18, 3, 4:23-24, 5:16-47, 6:32-58, 8, 10, 12:20-36, 14-17
Romans 5:1-11, 8
1 Corinthians 8:6
Galatians 3:19-29, 4:1-7
Ephesians 1-2, 3:14-21, 4:1-6
Colossians 1:9-23, 3
Hebrews 1-2, 12, 13:5-6
James 1
1 Peter 1
1 John (esp. 2:1-23, 3:1-3, 4:7-19)