The Deepest Love
A sharp ping snapped me out of work mode and drew my attention to my phone. A friend’s text read, “The whales are in your neighborhood! Go quickly!”
She and I followed an app that pinpointed the current locations of the orca pods that bless our state. We were like tornado chasers in the Midwest, but instead we were whale chasers. Those killer whales were quick and stealthy deep divers, so I’d yet to “catch” one. I glanced up at my monitor—so much work to do. Why waste time on another fruitless chase? Yet the words Go quickly echoed in my mind.
As I grabbed my keys and headed to my car, I prayed. Lord, I’d like to see the whales this time. I know it’s a small request, perhaps frivolous in light of the many complex things You must be tending to. But my heart is set on seeing a whale.
I drove to the waterfront and parked where the orcas had last been seen, scanning the bay with my camera’s telescope lens. Nothing. I got back into my car and then zipped west. Nothing. Driving once more, but wondering if this was another false alarm, I headed east to the farthest point on the boardwalk. I waited and waited, praying once more. Just as I was about to leave, I sensed the Spirit’s prompting: Wait.
I felt His presence beside me, almost like a father holding his daughter’s hand at a zoo. As we watched, three whales breached, lifting from the water, sliding back, gliding. I blinked the tears away. Only God could command the whales to rise from the sea (see Job 41:1–5) for me, His beloved daughter.
I love You, Abba, I whispered.
He loves me and you, too (1 John 3:1). To some extent, almost everyone has daddy issues. Maybe your dad was great—but he was still human and therefore made mistakes. Maybe your dad was abusive, neglectful, or not present at all. Those are complex wounds to heal. Philosopher Blaise Pascal first wrote that we each have a God-shaped hole in our hearts, but we have a dad-shaped hole in our hearts, too. Thankfully, your Father God can fill both of them at once. He’s always by your side, daughter. He’s eager to show you that He can do for you what no earthly father, even the very best of them, can do.
I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.
2 CORINTHIANS 6:18 ESV
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“Taste and see that the Lord is good! How blessed is the person who trusts in him!” Psalm 34:8