March 4 – LD 9, Day 7: My Father Sends to Me All Things in His Great Love!

Read: Matthew 7:7-13

The Catechism presents all of the essential doctrines of Holy Scripture for our instruction. But again, the Catechism now makes the glorious truth of Trinity and the Fatherhood of the First Person, so very personal. This Father of Jesus Christ, the Almighty Creator is, difficult as it is to believe, my Father for Jesus’ sake. Father surely will provide all things necessary for soul and body. Jesus reminds of that fact in Matthew 7:11. Jesus does not promise great wealth or healing of every sickness. He does promise us “all things necessary for soul and body. In the “Lord’s Prayer” Jesus taught us to ask: “Give us this day our daily bread.” We ask for bread for the day—and with that we must be content. If Father is pleased to give much more, we have the added responsibility of using all to the glory of our God.

It is more difficult to understand the care of our heavenly Father when we become sick and soon might die. Why must the Christian endure the terribleness of warfare? Why does the Christian sometimes lose all that he possesses through fire or wind? What about Christian parents who lose a child?

Some have claimed that God sends only health and prosperity to His children. It is the devil who sends the adverse things. Only if one asks Father in faith, will he be healed. If he lacks sufficient faith, he likely will not be healed.

Notice the Scriptural truth the Catechism emphasizes: “…He will make whatever evils He sends upon me…” Yes, He also sends to His people poverty, sickness, and death as well. Is. 45:7 makes this plain: God makes peace and creates evil. Psalm 119 repeatedly emphasizes that great truth that “affliction has been for my profit….” And Rom. 8:28 teaches that all things work together for good to them that love God. Therefore the same chapter points out that there is nothing which can separate us from the love of God which is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Is this not a most glorious assurance? The Almighty God is able to work all for our good and willing to do so being “a faithful Father.”

When adversity comes, we do not understand always the “why.” We are tempted to be critical of our Father. Yet we must be content in the knowledge that our understanding of the “why” is so limited. We are content to leave it to our Almighty Father. He knows best what we need—and provides that.