Agree With Heaven!

Growing up, I had a secret that weighed heavily on my young heart. I didn’t have a father. At least, not in the way most of my friends did. When people asked about my dad, I spun elaborate tales about a man who was always away on business or working in some far-off place. One time, I was dancing in the playground and a friend asked me where I learned to dance so well. I must have been nine or ten at the time, in response to her question I lied and said my father was a performer who sang and danced in shows around the world. It’s laughable now. The truth was, I didn’t know where he was. While he lived and still lives, in the same town as me, I haven’t shared a home with him since I was eight and even then it was for a very brief period. The thought of admitting that to my friends and their parents filled me with shame. I desperately wanted to fit in, to be like everyone else, and most of all, to have a dad. My mother did her best, but there were gaps she simply couldn’t fill. Back then, the absence of a father figure left an ever-present void. I envied those around me who had fathers to turn to, men who taught them how to ride bikes, picked them up from school and were just… there.

When I was eleven, something changed. My mother met a man who would become my stepfather. He was kind, patient, and genuinely cared for us. But despite all his efforts, I still felt like an outsider in my own family. My younger sister, though also not his biological child, kinda looked like him. When people saw them together, they didn’t need an explanation because it was obvious that they were related. But me? I looked nothing like him. I would often wish I had his features, just so people would stop asking questions. I wanted so badly for it to be believable that he was my dad. It wasn’t that he treated me any differently, but each time someone asked if he was really my dad or where my real dad was, it was a reminder of the lies I had told and that even my new reality wasn’t all the way real.

I couldn’t understand why this longing for a father was so intense. Why couldn’t I just be satisfied with what I had? Why did I crave that fatherly connection so desperately? It wasn’t until much later that I began to find answers to these questions. As I grew older and my understanding of God deepened, I realised that this desire for a father had been placed within me long before I was ever born. This longing for a father wasn’t just a response to my earthly situation. It reflected a much deeper spiritual need, a desire for a relationship with my Heavenly Father. No matter what my earthly-father situation looked like, that longing for a paternal connection was always there because it was meant to draw me closer to God. The absence I felt was not just a gap left by my biological father; it was a space meant to be filled by my relationship with my Heavenly Father. The love, guidance, and security I sought could only be truly found in Him. This realisation transformed my perspective. I began to see my stepfather not as a replacement or a lesser version of a father but as a blessing in my life. More importantly, I started to nurture my relationship with God, understanding that He is the perfect Father who would never leave me and loves me unconditionally. While my earthly family might not look like everyone else’s, I found peace in knowing that I have a Heavenly Father who is always with me, guiding me, and loving me beyond measure.

Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction? ~ Amos 3:3 (NLT)

And we are confident that He hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him. ~ 1 John 5:14 (NLT)

I’ve been meditating on the model prayer that Jesus gave and I haven’t been able to get past the part that says, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” I don’t know about you, but I have many things that I’m submitting to God for His absolute perfect will to be done. Half the year is gone and I long to be in His perfect will for the season that this year represents. I’ve been listening to the song ‘We Agree With Heaven’ by Naomi Raine and Todd Dulaney on repeat for a few weeks now. If you haven’t heard the song, look it up, I’m sure it will bless you. The song is such a beautiful confession that helps me lock in with the reality that God has some things for me and if I can only just align my will with His, they will come to pass.

As we push forward into the second half of 2024, what is your prayer concerning God’s will to be done on earth, in your nation, your home, your business, your family and your heart, as it is in heaven? Have you ever thought about it? It’s never too late to desire your Father’s will in your life. Two things ring true for me as I’ve pursued this in prayer as Jesus instructed and I’d like to share my thoughts on them with you today.

Fear the Lord

When we think of the word ‘fear’ we think of paralysing torment that keeps us from moving forward. That feeling that flashes red to keep us from harm or danger. Because of this, we are afraid of the word fear and even more so afraid of the God we are instructed to fear. Whenever the Bible speaks about fearing the Lord our God, it can’t possibly mean the fear that involves terror or torment. Why? Because God is holy and there is no evil in Him. God can’t call us to experience terror or torment in our relationship with Him because He doesn’t have these in Him. This fear that we are supposed to have for the Lord our God is a deep reverence that affects how we show up in the world. Fearing God means beholding Him in a way that defines our intentions, decisions and actions. If we lack this deep reverence, then we don’t have a true revelation of God in our lives, and if we lack this knowledge of who He is how can we yield to His will?

The Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom. This deep reverence of God is the starting point and the foundation upon which all other things are built. We can’t seek first His kingdom if we don’t fear the Lord. We can’t pray according to His will if we don’t fear the Lord. We can’t experience the realities of heaven in our lives here on earth if we don’t fear the Lord. The list can go on forever. Are you living your life in a manner that says there is a God and I fear Him (revere Him deeply) with all my heart? I hope your answer is yes, and if it’s not, that can change today.

The same way we would have that loving fear towards our earthy fathers, God is calling us to engage with Him in that manner. To honour and respect Him as our Father understanding that the fruit of our relationship with Him is His perfect will being made manifest. Fear of the Lord also frees us from the fear of man. When God is truly your Lord, the hesitations that lead your life due to the fear, approval and expectations of man begin to fall away. When we know our lives make our Father smile with good pleasure, whose comments can phase us? This leads to such freedom. Freedom to dream, run with and trust in the only One who is to be feared.

Pray for alignment

I know I keep talking about alignment. I think this is my burden for this year, for my own life, the lives of my closest family and friends and also those with whom I have some level of influence. Do you desire alignment? It’s so easy to say yes, to this question, yet I wonder if we understand what that means. Being aligned to God’s will means submitting our will to His, and being OK when what He wants contradicts what we want. I’ve had something like that happen in the past couple of weeks and I won’t lie, that thing hurts. What I wanted wasn’t bad, it was very good, or at least I thought it was very good, and when it didn’t happen, I was confused and sad. Yet, I’ve had to ask myself if I believe His Word to be true. Is He truly Good? Are His thoughts and His will better and much higher than my own? Is He working all things together for my good? Does He desire to bring about an expected end in the story of my life? I believe the answer to all these questions to be yes and so, I submit. I align myself to the current reality and the fact that if I’m still breathing then He is still working and that as long as I stay close to Him, He will bring about every good thing that He has prepared for me.

Living in line with heaven’s expectations of us in mind is a big deal because only then can heaven back us up. If what we’re doing doesn’t have heaven’s stamp of approval, we’re outchea on our own and that is not how we ought to operate as children of God. He wants to Father us in every sense of the word. We are not to behave as orphans without One whose name we carry. When we behave as those who are fatherless, we miss out on the favour and resources that God has laid out for His children. God requires and rewards alignment with His Word. My prayer is that as you seek to live a life that demonstrates your fear of the Lord your God, being aligned with Him will become like second nature and that His peace will cover you in every step you take.