| Christian Life and Doctrine | June 1975 |
God Our Father
WE MARVEL at the glory of God which is manifest in things both great and small; awe-inspiring splendors of breathtaking grandeur; or tiny seeds which bring forth plant and flower, delicate in beauty and color and texture. All the works of God speak of a wisdom and power above that possessed by any of us, and an intelligence far greater than our own. Those who attribute the wonders of creation to mere laws of nature and cosmos should realize these are but a very thin veil to hide the glory of God which bursts upon our consciousness as evidence of an intelligent God behind all things that exist, and that the power of nature itself is an expression of the operation of God’s will.
This One, who is the Dispenser of our blessings, is the only one worthy of full heart’s devotion; all else is idol worship. Possibly one of the most endearing of his names is that one given by the Master when he addressed him, “Our Father which art in heaven.” this name suggests his infinite care and very great goodness to us who are his children. In the matter of his providences, it is only for us to devote ourselves to doing his will, and leave the rest to our Father. Thus the reverence of God is the beginning of our true wisdom, and only in this wisdom are we capable of appreciating the greatness of the Almighty who is self-subsistent and the Giver of all light and truth, and of whom it is written that “in him is no darkness at all.”
Only the opinions of men, born in the darker ages of the past, magnify God’s vengeance. The One who has given us this universe and the intelligence and life to enjoy it, wants us to get pleasure from our existence. His characteristics of goodness are far greater than the measure of man’s mind, for our Father in heaven is indeed a God of love. Through the exercise of his power, he inspired holy men of past generations to record the blessings to come in the establishment of his kingdom on earth. The culmination of his divine purpose for his created children is recorded by the great Apostle Paul: “That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him.”—Eph. 1:10
“O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth forever. Praise ye the Lord.”—Ps. 117