This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9 (NLT)
The strains of the opening choral hymn, sung by the men, echo in my mind:
Rise up O men of God,
Have done with lesser things.
Give heart and soul and mind and strength,
To serve the King of Kings,
To serve the King of Kings.
Lift high the Cross of Christ,
Tread where His feet have trod,
As brothers of the Son of Man,
Rise up O men of God,
Rise up O men of God.
Rise up O men of God,
Have done with lesser things.
Give heart and soul and mind and strength,
To serve the King of Kings,
To serve the King of Kings.
It’s Father’s Day. The special music, the sermon, and the scripture reading were all designed to remember and give honor to Dad. But I watched in awe when our pastor called the men to the altar and they all kneeled and prayed in obedience to 2 Chronicles 7:14. I look forward to this tradition each year because it is holy moment to watch this sea of men rededicate themselves to leadership and love before God Almighty.
With great passion, the pastor challenged men to have the strength and courage that God promised to Joshua—with their wives and families, in the workplace, in their leisure time, and how they spend their money. “In the end,” he said, “You can’t attach a UHaul behind a hearse.” The difference in purpose and attitude must be intentional.
I pray for my son and son-in-law to have that kind of strength and courage. In today’s world, permeated by fear and worry, stress and anxiety, a man’s priorities are so easily twisted just to survive. But the hours spent showing love to a wife gives security to children more than any other way. Boys learn how to be men watching their dad. And little girls know love and acceptance in the security and words of one man above all others—Dad.
My dad is spending Father’s Day in heaven this year. Shopping for cards was a little weird when I realized that I didn’t need to buy one for him. Even harder is realizing that there is no one to call today that answers to “Hi, Dad.”
My dad was not the most verbally expressive of his feelings; he was of that generation. Yet, as the years passed, especially after Mom died, he began to be more and more vocal. As he lay dying, one of the last things he said to me was, “You are so precious to me.” He was almost ninety and I’m sixty-five but I felt like a little girl of six, so happy to hear my daddy’s words.
Jesus says the same thing—you are so precious to me. We can live each day knowing that our Abba or Daddy is right there to love us, encourage us, lead us on our particular path, and never leave us.