Who is God to you?

For years as a young girl, I was afraid of God.  And it was not a holy fear!  My image of him was one of a mean old man with a whip in his hand waiting for me to do something wrong.  The reason for that image is not important now - I have dealt with it a long time ago.

My husband read me a story a few days ago of a man who said to a Griqua: "I wonder what the weather will be like tomorrow".  The Griqua responded: "It's going to be a beautiful day!"  "How do you know that?" the man asked.  "It's simple" the Griqua said.  "Everything God gives us is beautiful".

I have been thinking about this for a few days now.  It's true.  Everything God gives us is beautiful.  He loves us so much that He gave His Son.  He loves us so much more than any earthly father can ever love a child.  Like a hen with her little ones under her wings, He wants to protect us.

Sometimes He says 'no' to things we asked.  Not because He doesn't want us to be happy, but because He has something better in store for us.  We need to learn to trust Him and to wait for His plans to come to being. 

Corrie ten Boom said that she got excited every time every time something went wrong in her life.  She was excited to see how God was going to sort it out.  You see, her expectation of God was right.  Many of us don't have the right image of God and our expectation of Him is altogether wrong.

I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

Jer 29:11