Psalms 34:4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.

Perhaps David’s most shining attribute was that he was honest to God. He was capable of deception – even this Psalm was written after he successfully deceived an enemy to secure his own freedom – and certainly deceived himself when it came to Bathsheba, but he never tried to hide from God. He didn’t try to “put on a brave face” when it came to God, but rather sought Him in honesty. I think many of us fall short in that area, trying to pretend even to God that we are something we aren’t. God liked that in him, and He likes that in us when we are that way. The irony is that we can’t hide anything from God anyway, so we might as well be honest! This is closely tied to our image of God, which is closely tied to our parents and the way we were raised. The reason the devil attacks the whole idea of fatherhood so viciously is that our image of God is strongly colored by our experience of and relationship with our human fathers, and the last thing the devil wants is for us to understand that God is always there, always strong, always just, always pure. Of course, none of our physical fathers were perfectly that way, but the more they strove toward that ideal, the more likely we are to grasp that God is that way. Jesse must have been a pretty good father! By God’s grace we can overcome the lack of a good father-model in our lives, but it can be a pretty steep climb at times. Regardless, whether we were raised by a near-perfect father or were abandoned by our parents, we still need to be honest with God. After all, honesty is a fundamental requirement for genuine repentance, and that is essential for salvation.

I was enormously blessed to be raised by a father who loved and served God, and who held Absolute Honesty as one of his fundamental principles. That has helped me strive not to dishonor his name or his memory. I’m thankful that the idea of God’s omniscience was planted in my heart very early. It probably helped that my father knew so much! In any case, I realized even as a child that it was silly, even stupid, to try to hide anything from God. This is all very timely, particularly in reference to this verse, because I am faced with a real fear that some people might find strange. This week marks the termination of my duties to The Koyo Schools, where I have taught for the past 42 years. I have various unrelated things on my schedule for next week, but after that my datebook looks remarkably empty. I am used to being needed, to being on call, and I know from experience that I am very adept at wasting time. I think I am afraid of my own weaknesses. Having written that, I am reminded of something I have told many people over the years: God is much stronger than our weaknesses! Knowing that, I have nothing to fear! I don’t know what God has planned for this next stage of my life, but I can trust Him with it in every detail, knowing that His plans are good. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Father, thank You for this perfect reminder. I feel so much better! I pray that my presence at the nursing school graduation today and the rehabilitation school graduation tomorrow would be what You desire, cementing the image of Christ You have transmitted through me over the years, drawing those people to you, and then through them, drawing many others to you, for the salvation of multitudes, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!