Everlasting Father

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Before Christmas, I shared about Jesus, our Wonderful Counselor and Mighty God. I never got around to finishing the rest of them.... so before the new year begins, I figured I'd catch up.

People who haven't had a great relationship with their earthly father can have a hard time grasping this concept. It can be hard even for people with really great dads. The word I get tripped up over is "everlasting." What does it mean? The obvious answer -- supported by my own dictionary I might add -- is "it lasts forever." And that's about where we lose it. Good dad or bad, in our world, nothing lasts forever.

My husband and his dad were pretty close, but his dad passed away several years ago. My husband never doubted his dad's love. And, he missed him when he was gone. Once, long after his dad died, he even picked up the phone to ask him a question... Lingering silence filled the room that day when he looked at the phone and really recognized how much he missed his dad.

An everlasting father, though, is always at the "other end of the phone." Ready to listen. Ready to help. Ready to motivate. We need not doubt he is there. Heb. 13:8 reminds us that He is always here. "Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever."

When my kids get injured or feel sick, they don't want me. They want their dad... he is a doctor, so maybe that's reasonable. (Though I think they underestimate the skill of "Dr. Mom.") My kids know that if there's something wrong, Daddy can do something about it. He can stitch up a gash on the back of the head. He can diagnose pneumonia with a quick listen to the lungs. More importantly, he knows how to make it better.

Our everlasting father is all that and more. He understands our hurts, and He knows how to make them better. He is always in control. We need not fear. "He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." (Col. 1:17) God is in control, and I don't need to be!

At our house, particularly during the fall band and football season, we run a bit ragged. I head one direction with a kid or two, and my husband goes the opposite way with whoever is left. We squeeze in the grocery shopping, cooking, laundry, and house cleaning whenever we can snag a few extra minutes. With three kids and two parents, there is just not enough of us to go around.

But God is not stretched so thin! (Okay, I know lots and lots of parents stretched really thin, so I am going to say that again: God is not stretched so thin!) In fact, God is not stretched at all. He is a God of infinite resources: love, joy, peace, and hope. He has an abundance of each and wants us to have them, too.

Isaiah 40:28-31 provides a clear picture of God's infinite love for us.

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

As the new year approaches, I want to soar on wings like eagles - reaching higher than ever before - making an impact for God's kingdom I never dreamed possible. I want to run this race called life with the endurance of a marathoner. I want to walk through the peaks and the valleys, without fear or worry.