"God My Daddy"

In memory of my daddy who loved me.
God.
Jehovah.
Jehovah Shalom.
Jehovah Shammah.
Jehovah Jireh
El Elyon
El Shaddai
Adonai
Father.
These are some of the names I generally think of when I think of God. But the name that came to me this morning wasn’t like any that I listed. The chorus of “God Forbid” says:
God forbid that I should find you so familiar that I think of You as less than who You are.
And God forbid that I should speak of You at all without a humble reverence in my heart.
God forbid.
When driving the girls to school this morning there suddenly appeared a little orange light in the form of a gas pump…the same light that appeared YESTERDAY when I was running errands. OK! OK! So it slipped my mind. But I remembered again when I saw it this morning and I was going to take care of it immediately after dropping Bethany off. Can I help it that I ran out of gas before I could get to the gas station?
Over the next few minutes I had several thoughts. My first thought was, “this is okay because both girls are in school on time.” My second thought was, "AAA may take too long right now since I have carpet layers coming between 8 and 9. My third thought, “I’ll try calling Dan, although it is quite possible that he will be unavailable.” God answered. Dan was already out of the office on a job. My forth thought was, “call Ed,” my faithful neighbor who, along with his wife Elsie, always serves with a smile. And as usual he came to my rescue! Thanks Ed! You’re the best. Thanks to you, too, Bethany, for reminding me that my cell was at home and I should take yours just in case. After calling Ed, and hanging up the cell phone I immediately received my fifth thought…more like a revelation. Only a week ago I came across Ed and Elsie’s phone number and thought to myself, “I need to put this number in my memory bank so if I don’t have access to my cell I will know it.” So, I did and what do ya know. My cell was at home this morning. We have lived next door to Ed and Elsie for nearly 11 years and the thought to memorize their phone number has never crossed my mind. As I pondered that, I thought about the mysterious ways that God cares for us and sometimes like a daddy.... a loving protective bear of a daddy. A daddy who thinks of everything that his little girl may need to know in order to stay safe and sound. Knowing that He loves me and will never leave me is an absolute but experiencing His love and care in the little insignificant things is so sweet. He cares about everything in my life: my comfort and warmth on a cold rainy day, having the right number for the right person at the right time, Bethany’s eight o’clock test, carpet layers coming, Dan’s schedule, my peace of mind...but most of all He cares about our relationship. Life would have been fine if Bethany hadn't noticed that I needed her cell or if she was late for a test. Life would have been fine if carpet layers had to knock on the door of an empty house, if Dan had to be interrupted to help me out, if AAA took 2 hours to come to me and even if I had to walk a few miles in the rain. None of these things would have been a crisis. This is why I have chosen Christianity and not religion. I get to have a relationship with a God who is all things to all men exactly when they need it. God knew what I needed today. Had the same thing happened tomorrow, God may have thought I needed to wait for AAA or walk a few miles in the rain....and do you know what is so cool about that? God would have taught me something awesome about Himself in that situation too. God cares about our relationship and I think that in any situation he just wants to say, "I see you today and I love you."
Dear God! Thank you for being exactly what I need, sometimes Jahovah Shammah, and sometimes God My Daddy. You know that I desire to think of You as who You are. The great I AM. You are not merely my buddy who comes in handy in my time of need. You are an awesome God who deserves to be lifted up and revered. So with all reverence I thank you, Daddy God, for caring about your children, this child. Your voice this morning was clear and cheerful as you said, “Robin, I see you today and I love you.” God, I love you too. Thanks for always saying it first. Maybe tomorrow I will beat you to the punch…but I doubt it. Amen.