# Letter from a Godly Father to his Adult Christian Daughter on her Birthday



## Ed Walsh (Dec 11, 2018)

Greetings to all,

Lately, my postings have apparently been a bit meandrous, and this one may be the same. But I came across this birthday letter from a godly father to his beloved Christian, now adult daughter. Maybe it is not profound, but it caught my eye. I hope it will grab yours too.

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To Dawn Angel,

Here are my thoughts for you on this special day. (I got the date right. _Right?_




J

Happy Birthday my daughter. Hope you have a blessed day. More than that I am praying that you have a great day every day for the rest of your life. It won't all be fun, but it will _all_ be good. (Rom. 8:28) And if you fall deeply in love with the infinity joyful God the Holy Trinity, you will be filled with His joy in every possible situation. Your doubts, your fallen nature, and Satan will tell you otherwise. But I have discovered that God always causes your enemy's plans to backfire–often sooner than later–and that I have no business listening to traitors and liars anyway. Remember, not only the world and Satan are liars, but your own traitorous _"heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked:"_ and apart from the moment by moment supply of the Holy Spirit, _"who can know it _[the heart]_"?_ (Jeremiah 17:9)

Consider Jesus, who was _"despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief:"_ (Isaiah 53:3) and in the end, suffered and died with and for the wicked. (That's you, Mom, your three brothers, and much more so, me) Yet, to the bitter end Jesus had one thing, an emotion actually, that enabled the fully human Son of God incarnate to endure it all. It was* Joy*! Not stoic obedience to his Father's will–though he never did a single miracle–big or small (as you said) apart from the Father's will. It wasn't just a random joy or the joy of returning to heaven victoriously. It was you and me and all that call upon the Lord in truth that his Holy affection focused on. You were always on his mind (sorry Willie Nelson) as the driving force throughout all the trials that encouraged _"when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,"_ to die shamefully for you. Where do I get this idea? Meditate a while on this verse from Hebrews. It gives new meaning to John 3:16, _"For God so loved that He gave..."_

Hebrews 12:2
_We should be, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God._​
Below are three verses that have been a kind of theme for my life these past few years.
*
First* – God bids us seek Him. He yearns to fellowship with us while still in this sinful body and on this fallen earth.
Psalms 27:8
_When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek. _​
*Second* – It takes everything you have. God desires nothing less.
Jeremiah 29:13
_And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. _​*
Third* – In time you will learn, as David did, that is was Him seeking you all along.
Psalms 119:176
_I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments._​
Dawn, it has taken me the better part of my life to see that there is quite literally nothing in me that is not as black as soot that covers everything now in Mom's fire scared cabin. (what a mess) Nevertheless, God is still good to me. I can't find the words, nor do I think the words exist that can describe what love, what passionate fellowship, what full assurance he gives, even to the chief of sinners, yours truly. It is only the faith that he gives to all who ask that brings us to God. But I almost feel like I have gone past belief to something more. I don't have to try to pray as a duty. Now I usually wake up in prayer. I was talking to Mom the other day about what I thought would be a good question at a Bible study group. This was the question: "What do you think was the greatest thought you ever had?" Mom said to me, "Well, what would you say." I said, "That's easy. The greatest thought I ever had was about a year ago... I woke up very early and thought. 'God actually wants to fellowship with me.'" Immediately I began to cry in utter amazement that that might even possibly be true. Wow! What a morning followed.

God bless you my one and only daughter this special day and all your days till you arrive at that endless Day and are entirely transformed into your final glorious state–the spotless bride–the exquisitely beautiful likeness of Christ–to finally "know [Jesus] even as you are known" (1 Cor. 13:12) Wow! What are 70-80 years even of trouble and sorrow if God so wills. It is as nothing. It just doesn't seem fair. Once, years ago, this thought occurred to me and made me question even if it was all true. I mean the Gospel. We get forever for a tiny period of little faith and even less faithfulness. How can it be? It's just not fair. But it is all true.

Grace and Love,

Papa

Reactions: Like 1


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## LadyCalvinist (Dec 11, 2018)

Beautiful.


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