Fatherhood has been one of the greatest joys of my life. Some of my favourite moments throughout my day are when Isabella wakes up and we greet each other with a smile; bath time with more smiles and lots of chatter; walking through our neighbourhood; and rocking her to sleep. My heart is overwhelmed with a love for her that is difficult to express in words. When I’m with her, my heart is full of joy. When I’m away from her, my heart literally hurts. It’s an incredible feeling, one I’m grateful to God for.
Just last night, as I was rocking Isabella to sleep, the feeling of love, joy, and delight overwhelmed my heart. I was enraptured. But then I had this thought: as much as I love this sweet little girl, our Heavenly Father loves His children more. I could not possibly love my daughter any more than I do, I don’t think. I love her with every fibre of my being; I would most certainly die for her. And yet, God takes my love that I have for Isabella and one-ups that love by a bazillion-gazillion.
God loves you and delights in you, child of God! Zephaniah 3:17 reads: “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing”. Your God delights in you and rejoices over you with song! Your God allowed His Son to be killed as a sacrifice to bring YOU close to Him, because he loves spending time with his children. What a love!
We had the opportunity to draw close to God last night in corporate prayer as we kicked off our Week of Prayer. We focused on praising and adoring God for WHO he IS—truly a wonderful time! I don’t know about you, but it’s a joy and blessing to hear my church family pray. I’m always encouraged and spurred on to pray more when I reflect upon the prayers of those around me.
Tonight, from 7-8PM, as we continue our Week of Prayer, we’ll focus on the confession of sin. This is one of the most under-utilized tools in the Christian's tool-belt. David tells us that unconfessed sin is like a festering sore that rots our bones from the inside out (Psalm 32:3-4), but healing begins with confession (32:5-7). Sometimes we allow our sin to keep us from God. But God, as our perfect Father, wants us to run to Him when we mess up!
Run to Him, saints! Run to your father who delights in you. And may we run to Him together tonight in corporate prayer! Come and join us! I know you will be encouraged!
Patrick
Week of Prayer
Monday to Friday, in person at 7PM. Tonight: Confession.
This February is the second Canadian Guidelight retreat, hosted by Muskoka Bible Centre. This is a retreat for families who have children with special needs and will be held February 17-20, 2023 (Family Day weekend).
We are currently looking for more volunteers to join our team. No experience is required. Volunteers are paired with one child/family, but we are always in a large group setting with lots of people available to help. Our main role is to provide one-to-one support while the parents are in sessions with a Bible teacher and through special events like the candlelit dinner. In between, there's time to engage with all the families in activities like gym games, tubing, music, etc.
The goal is to provide respite for families while presenting gospel truth. For many of the parents that attend, this is the only extended break they get all year. It's definitely a tiring weekend as a volunteer, but incredibly rewarding and exciting to serve. And it's fun!
If you are interested or have questions, please get back to Allie by January 15.
This Week
Monday, January 9 - Friday, January 13 @ 7:00 PM: Week of Prayer
Saturday, January 14 @ 8:00 AM: Zoom Week of Prayer Meeting
Sunday, January 15 @ 9:30 AM: Pre-service Prayer
Sunday, January 15 @ 10:00 AM: Corporate Worship Service
