Today's Guest Devotional is written by Mike Loveridge, assistant Pastor of Manor Park Church
Holy Father Rich in Mercy
The song for this week is ‘Holy Father Rich in Mercy’ by Colin Webster and Phil Moore. You can listen to the song here (or with words here). Like previous weeks, I suggest you listen to the song, dwell on the words and then read through my brief comments. I hope this song blesses you as it has me.
Holy Father rich in mercy
Holy Saviour rich in grace
Great in glory everlasting
How I long to see Your face
Lead me to Your new creation
Lead me to Your throne of love
Giving glory to the Father
To the Spirit and the Son
Jesus Christ our risen Saviour
Shepherd of the weak and lost
Author of our great salvation
Through the power of the cross
Lead from glory into glory
Safely held by arms of love
So to dwell with You forever
Bringing praises to our God
Chorus
Giving glory to the Father
Giving glory to the Son
Giving glory to the Spirit
The blessed Three in One
Holy Spirit breath of heaven
Make me holy through Your word
Break the chains of sin's destruction
Fix my eyes upon You Lord
When I wander from Your safety
When I wander from Your truth
Draw me back to my Redeemer
Through the Holy fire of God
Colin Webster & Phil Moore
I first heard this song recently and was immediately struck by the words in that final verse:
"When I wander from your safety when I wander from your truth, draw me back to my Redeemer through the Holy fire of God."
There is wonderful truth in these words that display God’s posture towards us. His arms are always open wide, like a father waiting for his child to run to him. He is a place of safety and protection. And just as a father calls his child to come to him, God our Father calls us to run back to him.
I have been reflecting again recently on the parable of the prodigal or lost son. That parable displays what we are talking about here. A son has wandered off, but we see a loving father who day after day must have stood on the rooftop straining his eyes, hoping to see his returning son. When at last he sees his son what does he do? He runs to him and greets him. He doesn’t scold him or punish him. He doesn’t rebuke him or heap guilt on him for leaving. He doesn’t even put him to work but celebrates his return with a feast. Well, the father in the parable of the prodigal son is an image of God. God treats us as the father treated the lost son. If you have wandered away from God, he is waiting for your return with arms wide open ready to embrace you again. God beckons us to come home, to come back to him.
Maybe as you are reading this this morning you can readily associate yourself with the prodigal son. In recent weeks or months or even years you have been or continue to wander away from God, away from His safety. You have been carried away by different kinds of thoughts. Maybe unhelpful thoughts about yourself, about the world, about God himself. Well, I challenge you today to stop wandering away and turn back to God. As you do so you do not need to fear God as he is a father with arms wide open. Don’t let the guilt stop you. Perhaps for you this morning you have come to the end of wandering. Like the prodigal son you are looking at the ‘pig food’ and thinking, ‘How did I end up here?’. Well, like the prodigal son who came to the end of himself and plucked up the courage to return home, why don’t you do the same today? Come back to God today.
The desire at the centre of this song is to live a life in close relationship to God. The final verse says, ‘draw me back to my Redeemer’. Who is our redeemer? It’s God. God is the author of our salvation. It was God who came up with the rescue plan of sending Jesus to earth to die for our sins, for your sins.
Today, ask God to draw you back to him, to help you fix your eyes on him. God is there and is a consistent, faithful and good God who longs for you to come to him. He is the shepherd of all, which includes the weak and the lost. You don’t have to be strong to come to Jesus.
Prayer for today
Our loving Heavenly Father,
Thank you that you are a compassionate, loving, faithful God who, despite our wandering, waits for us with arms wide open. Thank you that you are the author of our salvation and that through Jesus we can have a personal relationship with you.
We ask today that you will show us where we are wandering away from you and from your truth. Fix our eyes upon you and help us to remember that only you and you alone can truly satisfy.
We pray all this in your name,
Amen.
Photo from Unslpash by Iga Palacz
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