Yielding to Father’s Assignment

David W Palmer

God sees everything, and he knows everything that can be known. Without a doubt, he knows what you and I need—even before we do. He is loving, kind, and good, and he has a passion-filled vision; he watches over us, and has an exciting assignment for each one of us just as he did for Jesus. While fully engaged in this mission, his plan is to provide for us and protect us as he did Jesus. However, as the earth is man’s domain, and since we have sovereign dominion over our own free will, we must meet certain conditions before God can help us:

(James 4:8 EMTV) Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

First, we need to “purify our hearts” —removing all contaminations and leaving them with only one focus. Next, we need to cleanse our hands—meaning repent of sinful actions and stopping them. Then, if we draw near to God, he will draw near to us; and—because he loves us as he did Jesus—he will reveal all his heart to us, showing us things to come, things we can imitate and repeat.

Our Father wants us in right standing with him, sitting at his table, focused on him, enjoying his provision, and listening to his affirming words. He wants to shape us, empower us, and direct us through his example and through what he speaks into our lives.

We can see this in Jesus’s parable of the Prodigal Son. The father in the story represents God. He risked a huge portion of his accumulated wealth in the hope of seeing his son come into agreement with his ways. When the son repented of his independence and came home to his father ready to listen, the father rejoiced because he could resume his fathering role. He took him back as a son. He loved him, clothed him, and sat him at his table. The father did this so he could feed him physically and spiritually—so he could impart his vision, values, and wisdom, while shaping him into a replica of himself—a wise and successful father.

Like our heavenly Father, the prodigal’s father wanted his son sitting at his feet, focused on him, and listening to his word. He wanted the opportunity to delegate authority to him, train him in leadership, and teach him the family culture of love, nurture, and provision.

So far, we have seen merely a glimpse of God’s father heart towards us. However, his immense love for us is seen best in the way he sent and sacrificed his son Jesus to rescue us and to restore us to his family. God did this because he loves you. He longs to do all these things—provide, guide, heal, forgive, love, care, nurture—for you.

(Romans 8:32 MKJV) Truly He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

Compared to the immeasurable cost of giving his only begotten son to die for you, providing for your daily needs is only a small outlay. He can and will do it for us—if we love him, and trust him enough to do what he says:

(Isaiah 1:19 NKJV) If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.

Without doubt, this passage speaks for itself. This is God’s word, and for us to disbelieve it would be insulting to God. He says you can “eat the good of the land.” He puts the condition as being “willing and obedient.” We note that this is both willing—not reluctant or acquiescing because we feel we have no choice—and obedient. It is possible to be obedient outwardly but not be at all willing inside. If this is the case for you, I urge you to correct it right away.

Today, look with honour at God, your heavenly Father. Seek to understand his heart that wants to father you—shaping you with his word and training you via delegating part of his work to you; and he does this all while he provides for you. Simultaneously, his dream is being fulfilled as we obey the assignment he has for each of us. We learn while being yoked to Jesus as his apprentices, his work is achieved as we grow to maturity in his plan. We enjoy the “good of the land” and the best training all while his dream is being fulfilled on earth. God certainly is a genius:

(Romans 8:28 BSB) And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.