During the summer, Zoë, now 15 months old, woke me up for an hour, during the early hours. Like all of us, she wanted some attention and loving from her dad. She wanted to remind me that I had not given her enough attention during the day. I had been working flat out on a refit in the kitchen. I had not given her the bath that I normally do.

I picked her up and sat on the bed, whilst she was giving me her teddy, taking it back, and crawling about the place. I just love her to pieces, despite being totally sleep-deprived. When my body and brain had finally had enough, I put her down, and she complained. Subsequently, my wife put her back to bed again, and she went off to sleep with hardly a murmur.

I guess she was comforted by the reassurance that I had not forgotten her, but for now, play time with dad was over. Bright as a button and quick on the uptake, she misses very, very little!

Similarly, God delights in us calling out to Him, any time of the day or night. In fact, He knows we are "as bright as a button" — yes, we are to Him. He sees as His children all who live in His Son, Jesus. We are better off in Him, with a childlike faith, than with all the cleverness in the world. He, the creator of both mother and father roles, is everything to us. Like any responsible parent, sometimes God must say "No!"

But we can trust Him, always, even when we cannot trust ourselves. He is on our side, waiting for us to call out to Him. As we reach out, He is never tired or weary, or unwilling to communicate.

1 John 4:9 – In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. (ESV)

Prayer: Lord, we have dirtied and sullied our relationship with You again. We have allowed all the stuff, covetousness, and lusts of the world to take the pride of place which is rightly Yours in our lives. Please forgive us, and as we reach out to You today, lift us up out from the pit, because in Jesus You died to set us free, so that You would be able to hold close in Your arms, once more, those who are willing to be held. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Forward this devotional     Share on Facebook

About the author:

Rod Marshall <roderickhenrymarshall@gmail.com>
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England
Send your feedback to the author