Mindy Lee Hopman

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” ~Romans 8:15

Every natural disaster takes us by surprise, even though God knows when the storm is on its way. Nothing is a surprise to our omniscient [all-knowing] God. 

Our God is not a distant Father from the days of old; although He was present in the past, He is also a part of our present. 

He loved us before creation. He created each one of us for the purpose of carrying out His plan. He is the Author of our stories.

And everyone needs the presence of a caring father to encourage and love our souls throughout the span of our stories.

Just as an earthly father [who is present] cares, nurtures, and protects his children and will do everything he can to protect his family during the storm, God [who is omnipresent—always present everywhere] does the same for us. In an ideal situation, some will see glimpses of our Heavenly Father in our earthly fathers. 

Regardless of the situation with your earthly father, your Heavenly Father is always present because He is unlimited by time or space. He never gets distracted. He is never too busy to listen. He is actively engaged in each of our lives. He hopes we choose to be still in Him and let Him turn the next page of our stories.

God wants us to trust Him in the good times and let Him turn the pages so that our roots are anchored in our faith when life’s storms arrive. And they will arrive.

When each major storm comes to us, hope is the anchor of our souls.

We can trust the Creator of all things created.

We can trust the One who intimately knows us and loves us more than we can imagine.

We can trust that our stories will be woven into His story, which is the greatest story of all time. So we hold on tight, and when He brings us through to the other side, we praise Him for His presence before, during, and after the storm.

Today’s Scripture:

 Abba. Daddy. Romans 8:15

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. ~Hebrews 6:19-20

… fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. ~Hebrews 12:2a

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. ~Hebrews 13:8 

Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ~Galatians 4:6

Today’s Snapshot: Our Heavenly Father

He was. He is. And He is to come. 

Our Heavenly Father has always been present—yesterday, today, and tomorrow; and He loved us first. 

As a parent who loves a child from the thought of conception, God loved us unconditionally from the beginning. He is our Creator, He is the Author of our story, and He is the Lover of our soul.

Today’s Family Discussion:

• What is unconditional love? Do you love anyone or anything unconditionally?
• Do you realize that God, your Heavenly Father, is also the Author of your story? How exciting!
• What do you think your next chapter will be? 

Closing Prayer:

Heavenly Father, 

Thank You for loving each one of us first. Thank You for creating us perfectly and for sending Your Son to die for us so that we can all come together as one again. We are grateful. As we enter into this Christmas season with hearts full of hope, may we continue to experience the wonder of your amazing love. You are a good, good Father. And for that, we are grateful.

In the precious name of Jesus, we pray,

Amen

This devotional is adapted from Faith Roots: An Advent Family Devotional available for purchase on Amazon.