Strategic Purpose - Where Fatherhood Begins
Discovering Father God as: Jehovah Hoseenu "our maker"
"What is our relationship to God? . . . The position that we stand in to him is that of a son. Adam is the father of our bodies, and God is the father of our spirits." ~ John Taylor
When I'm Calling You
"Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." Isaiah 43:1-3
Here the Hebrew word for called is qara' (kaw-raw') which means; to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, or proclaim. The picture is of a proud Father calling His children by name, reminding them of their security, their protection, their value to Him. He's reciting their names like a roll call of favorite students, announcing not just His love but His approval as well.
There is purpose in the life God has called us to live and purpose in the person He has called us to be. The Father makes this moment a declaration, a heavenly proclamation of distinct identification of us and with us. Throughout scripture He speaks of a global positioning with Him, the creator of the universe. This is the nature of God-to be intimate with His kids-on a first name basis with all of us. Drawing us to Him, calling our name, grafting us onto the family tree and declaring universally, "you are mine".
"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named."
Ephesians 3:14,15.
The Father names us; this acknowledgment by Paul -the writer of Ephesians-should strike a cord deep within us, waking us up to the promise that has been revealed to us, the promise of being named into a family by Father God. His naming principle not only identifies us as individuals-each with a certain gifting and purpose-but as a family units that increase those gifts into possibilities beyond our imagination. His naming us is meant to bring life, His calling is meant to bring life and purpose together for our benefit. So we begin to understand our role, our place, and to recognize the scope of our design.
