Dear People who Keep Company with God,

The Father has placed a deep desire in each of our hearts. Deep down we all long to be with Him, to be loved by Him and to be at home in His house. This is the greatest desire and need of all mankind.

“The deepest search in life, it seemed to me, the thing that in one way or another was central to all living was man’s search to find a father, not merely the father of his flesh, not merely the lost father of his youth, but the image of a strength and wisdom external to his need and superior to his hunger, to which the belief and power of his own life could be united” Thomas Wolfe

God gave us natural fathers to help us know the Heavenly Father. On Father’s Day many of the older men in our church came forward at the end of both services to bless our church. They declared agreement with the move of the Holy Spirit at Riverlife and formed a “father’s blessing tunnel” where each person from the congregation had the opportunity to pass through and receive a personal blessing. This was a very powerful and life giving time in our church.

We are blessed with young men, women and children who are very passionate about the Lord and what He is doing among us, however we also desperately need the fathers’ and mothers’ blessings and presence if we are to truly grow to “k now Him”.

I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. 1 John 2:13

My best counsel to my son concerning being a father is, “The most important thing to give your children is identity and security. If you do this then you will have done the greatest thing a father can do for his children.” A father’s blessing means to a child that he or she is seen and recognized by the father as a unique person who is loved for being who he or she is. Jesus Himself experienced this from the Heavenly Father on two separate occasions; at the beginning of His earthly ministry and at the height of His earthly ministry.

and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “this My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” Matthew 3:17

While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” Matthew 17:5

These blessings sustained Jesus in His life and on that long journey from the Mount of Transfiguration to the cross. If the Lord Jesus Himself received His Father’s blessing on more than one occasion then we would be wise as fathers to give our children the blessings they so deeply desire. As a local church it is also of utmost importance for the fathers and mothers among us to rise and bless what the Father is doing in the church and bless the congregation with their presence and input. As in the natural, this affirms the congregation’s identity and releases the security and confidence to continue in the upward calling of God.

Sarah Bollinger gave a great testimony to the power of a father’s blessing and presence. Sarah stated, “In high school I was on the girl’s soccer team and at times my parents would arrive at the game late. My dad would whistle in a particular way when he arrived, letting me know he had arrived. When I heard that whistle I did not even have to look, I knew my dad was present. Suddenly my game would go to another level just knowing he was present. I knew my dad had my back covered.”

Many Blessings, BW

Pin It on Pinterest