The Greatness of Our God

Sons and Sunshine,                                                                     July 23, 2012
Half of my life is now or soon to be away from me, you have no idea how much a father's heart is made heavy when the Lord, in His everlasting mercy, brings such sanctifying, holy pain. So I have decided to write to the three of you, in the mornings, maybe not every morning, but many of them, my thoughts and my encouragements directed specifically to one half of the greatest blessings the Lord has been gracious to pour out upon me. (Ok, I admit it, this is probably more for me than for you, but please take the time to read them and to feel the heart of your dad, who is a bit sappy, corny and even silly, but whose heart is one with my children.)  Some of my notes will be longer than others but between the lines are your father's prayers for your holiness, and the Holy Spirit's making your ready and leading you into holy warfare, for why else are we in this world.
I have been reading about the songs that are in the Bible, the songs our brothers and sisters of ages past, sang, the songs that were given by God Himself to be sung back to Him.  There are a few characteristics of those songs, but chief among them is that they “make” God big. The greatness of God is their theme.
Read with me the song of Mary, Luke 1:46-55...go ahead get your bible, I will wait...
We call her song the Magnificat because that’s the first word of her song in the Latin translation. It means (as does the original Greek), “makes large.”That’s what Mary’s song is all about, setting God forth as a large, big God full of strength, justice, mercy, holiness, and faithfulness, this little-in-her-own-eyes teen-ager declares, “My soul magnifies the Lord.”
So, as you each embark on your journey's specific to each of you, but all with the same goal, here is what your father says to you: The first step, the first weapon to be garnered and kept close for all your battles is: The greatness of God. He is great because He sits above you and He is great because He is intimate with you. He is great because He rules the world and He is great because He knows and His Son has experienced each pain of loneliness that might be yours...and that is already mine. He is great because He knows not the wicked but confides, shares His heart, His purposes, His plans with those who fear Him and declare Him great in their lives.
May your father's God, bless you and keep you,
Dad