Being a Child Changes Everything
I shared last week that one of my all-time favorite hymns is “All Creatures of our God and King.” I love how it invites the saints to join in with the ongoing chorus of creation that sings to God’s glory:
And all ye saints of tender heart,
Forgiving others, take your part,
O sing ye, alleluia!
I also love how the hymn reminds us to cast our cares on our heavenly Father. He is both Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth, and at the same time, our tender, caring Father:
Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,
Praise God and on him cast your care:
It shouldn’t then come as a surprise that another one of my favorite hymns is “Children of the Heavenly Father.” Are you familiar with it?
Children of the heav’nly Father,
Safely in his bosom gather;
Nesting bird nor star in Heaven
Such a refuge e’er was given.
God his own does tend and nourish;
In his holy courts they flourish.
From all evil things he spares them;
In his mighty arms he bears them.
I actually was brought up on this hymn as a young child, attending a German Lutheran School in Toledo, Ohio. And so, the lyrics and melody—and most importantly, the theology—of this hymn have lived with me for my entire life.
What are your top five favorite hymns? I would encourage you to listen to them and sing them more frequently. The classics of the Christian faith are filled with such robust theology, and if you’re anything like me, you’re prone to wander and forget. Hymns are one of God’s gracious reminders to bring you back!
This beautiful little hymn reminds us of theology that we all know in our heads, but don’t always embrace in our souls (and therefore, it doesn’t shape everything we think, say, and do). Here it is: God is your Father, and you are his child.
It’s almost so simple that we take it for granted. But let the magnificence of what I just wrote live in your heart for a moment.
It’s not enough to believe that you’ve only been forgiven. That, of course, is eternally wonderful, but the work of Jesus did something more. It’s almost too wonderful to comprehend: you have been adopted into the family of God. You are now the son or daughter of the King of kings and Lord of lords.
The lyrics “Safely in his bosom gather / Nesting bird nor star in Heaven / Such a refuge e’er was given” references Matthew 6:26–32, where Jesus says, “Look at the birds of the air … Consider the lilies of the field … even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these … Will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious … your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.”
Yes, this theology addresses physical needs, but it’s so much more. Every day, you are being nourished by your Lord. The strength and wisdom you have is because your Father nourishes you with them. Any good you do is because your Father nourishes you with it.
When you’re too foolish to fight, your Father fights on your behalf. When you’re too weak, he gives you the strength to get up. Your hope in your marriage, parenting, sexual purity, finances, physical, emotional, or spiritual suffering, relationships with others, and all other battles is that God is your Father, and you never fight alone.
As Jesus was about to be forsaken by all men, he said, “I am not alone, for the Father is with me” (John 16:32). You are a child of the heavenly Father. That title changes everything about your everyday life.
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are” (1 John 3:1).
Neither life nor death shall ever
from the Lord his children sever;
Unto them his grace is showing,
And their sorrows all is knowing.
Lo, their very hairs he numbers,
And no daily care encumbers
Those who share his ev’ry blessing,
And his help in woes distressing.
Praise the Lord in joyful numbers;
Your protector never slumbers;
At the will of your Defender,
Every rival must surrender.
God has given, he has taken,
But his child is ne’er forsaken;
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve us, pure and holy.
A Prayer for Today: Lord God, please help me to know and experience the fact that you are my heavenly Father and I am your beloved child. I want that to sink into the deepest recesses of my heart, and so much in this world and my sinful nature prevent me from truly believing it. Would you overcome those obstacles and help me to grasp the beauty and goodness of being adopted into your family? And may I live out that adoption with gratitude to the point that my life blesses others and shares the good news of your great mercy and grace. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Discussion Prompt for Children
1. What do you think it means to be a “child of God”? How does knowing you are someone’s child impact how you connect with your dad or mom? How do you think it should affect the way you connect with God?
2. How do you think God cares for you every day? Let’s list out a few things that God gives to us and how he cares for us.
3. If God is always for us and with us, what does that mean for you even when you’re feeling lonely? How can you and I remind each other about the truth that God is always for us and with us?
Reflection Questions
1. As you ponder what it truly means that God is your Father and you are his child, how might that truth begin to change your day-to-day thoughts, actions, words, beliefs, etc.? What is true of someone who has been adopted into a family (try to think of specific examples), and how do those truths overlap with the truth that you are adopted into the family of God?
2. In what ways have you been nourished by the Lord? How has he met your physical needs? Emotional? Spiritual? What has been the practical impact of God’s nourishment in your life?
3. What battles are you currently facing in life? How can the gospel of Jesus Christ remind you that you never face those battles alone? What spiritual disciplines are you exercising and implementing into your daily life that remind you of the truth that you’re never alone? Who are the people in your life who remind you of the truth that God is always for you and with you?
4. If God is always for us and with us, what does that mean for you even when you’re feeling lonely? Who or what can remind you of the truth that if you’re in Christ, you’re never alone?