A Father's Voice

After Jesus was baptized, Matthew 3:17 says, "And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (NIV).

It might have been enough for God to call from heaven to declare this is His Son, but He goes further by letting all know He is well pleased with Jesus.

How many sons and daughters long to hear their father say the words, "I'm proud of you, son!" or "Your the best daughter a Dad could ever want."

Words of love and affirmation are so needed in our generation where family relationships are strained or completely broken. Hungry sons and daughters want to know they are going to be all right. And that they are right in the eyes of their father, no matter what went wrong or right in the relationship.

Even more so, there is a deep desire to hear the voice of the father speak their name.

We read in Mark 9:7, "Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!" (NIV). Again, God speaks to His son who is away from His home in glory to affirm the Father's love. Through time and space, God's voice boomed, breaking through every barrier to be heard by human ears!

Today I called my father. He sounded well after a battery of medical tests. He turns 70 next month. I remarked that when I was in high school, he was in his forties which I'm now 44 years old. How fast time flies, I said. He laughed, warning me not to push it! Hearing him laugh made me smile. It wasn't always like this in times past. Now, as I grow older to hear the sound of his voice soothes me, calms my anxious thoughts and brings me closer to him - even though we may be miles away.

One day the phone won't ring and the letters will cease to come to the mailbox. Though I rather not think about those coming days, for now I enjoy the friendship and love of a father whom God has restored and I to him.

Perhaps this is what makes prayer so powerful. In those times of prayer, we hear God's voice and it assures our heart and calls us onward - to move a little closer to Him - until one day we see Him face to face.