“Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” (John 12:15)
Every girl desires to be a “daddy’s girl” and know a father’s love physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Understanding who she is to her father is crucial in a little girl’s development. Why does God put so much emphasis on a father? What role does a father play in his daughter’s life?
A Listening Heart
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In scripture, God, the Father, is a conquering defender, an abundant provider, a mighty protector, and, most importantly, an endless pursuit of love. All four attributes are seen from Genesis to Revelation, demonstrating God our Father’s infinite pursuit of His chosen children.
“For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love, he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” Ephesians 1:4-6
In this verse, the bold words are actions God, our heavenly Father, has taken on our behalf because He loves us. They are not in response to something we’ve done or haven’t done for Him.
The Pain of Absence
When an earthly father is not present, Satan uses this powerful void to sow roots of destruction in a daughter’s heart, attempting to destroy her identity in her Heavenly Father.
As quickly as a cloudless blue sky can turn into the fiercest of storms, it was so in my life as an 8-year-old girl. I still remember the door opening and a whisper calling my name. I had a habit of sneaking into my older sister’s bedroom at night because I was afraid. This nightly ritual was something my big sister had graciously grown accustomed to. One night, I heard the door crack and a whisper calling my name. It was my dad calling. He took my hand and carried me down our long hallway. He gently sat me on his lap and said, “Angela, I am leaving.”
I knew what he meant. I cried out, “Dad, but you said you would never leave me,” clinging to his neck. I watched my dad drive away in his grey Oldsmobile, and my little 8-year-old cloudless blue sky turned black. A few months later, my grandfather, a godly father figure, passed away. At the age of 8, I lost both my dad and grandfather, two vital figures in understanding a father’s love. Moving forward, I faced many challenges trying to understand why I didn’t have a father and tried to fill that void.
A Journey Through the Wilderness
I look back and see where God allowed situations in my life to ultimately turn my path to Him. But, like the Israelites who spent 40 years wandering in the desert, I also missed my Heavenly Father’s loving call. Why? Because I didn’t know His voice. For over 20 years, I wandered in my own desert despite witnessing miracles similar to those experienced by the Israelites. The miracle of parting the Red Sea was a majestic display of our Father’s redemptive love for His children. Yet, they soon forgot His acts of love and rescue.
Missing the Father’s Love Call
I want to share one miracle story highlighting how I missed my Heavenly Father’s love call. During a year off from college, I traveled with a ministry team. While traveling, I fell for one of the young men on the team. Our relationship became toxic. One night, as we traveled back to Tennessee, he fell asleep at the wheel. The car flipped, and I was pinned between the pavement and the hood of the vehicle.
I was airlifted to a trauma hospital and told I might never walk again. Looking back, the fact that I survived this accident was a miracle. I see it as God’s love for me, a redemptive pursuit after His daughter. Before the accident, I had numerous warnings
and calls from God, but I was unaware of how to hear my Father’s loving call. Growing up in the church surrounded by Christians, I still didn’t know how to hear God’s voice. Growing up without having my dad around made me desperately want to be loved by a man. Satan used my desperate search for love in a man to keep me from hearing God’s voice.
The Relentless Pursuit of Love
“Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
We must come to Jesus and give him our burdens to receive the rest that Jesus promised in Matthew 11:28-30. I was desperately searching for the rest of my broken heart and soul, but unaware I was searching for it in man, not Jesus. After my car accident, what should have been a surrender became a battle of not letting go of man. I had a very misguided view when I was younger. I was told that I could not sin and be saved; therefore, I believed I had to “act” a certain way to be accepted. I had made pleasing man into an idol, so much so that I privately began to doubt my salvation.
This was a lie that Satan used to sew further confusion. I did not know how to be “still.” I was so ashamed to admit that I was doubting my salvation. I did not know how to come to Jesus and seek Him for guidance. Being rejected by man and having a viewpoint that salvation is conditional, I continued to seek fulfillment, guidance, direction, counsel, and validation through man instead of God.
When we choose to make man our validation, the foundation will crack every single time! My seeking and wandering persisted, but God’s pursuit never faltered. The collapse of my 17-year marriage revealed my brokenness and God’s relentless love pursued me. Through my brokenness, I discovered God’s sufficiency and power.
From Brokenness to Redemption
Brokenness is a prerequisite for God’s work in us. My shattered state allowed God’s light to shine through the cracks of my vessel. Dr. Charles Stanley’s quote from 1 Corinthians 12:9, “His grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness,” became a reality in my life. I had a greater awareness of God’s sufficiency and redemptive power in my brokenness.
My Heavenly Father chased me down and intersected my brokenness to show me how much He loved me. He met me in an elevator when the end was drawing near. Satan was on my heels, and everything looked hopeless. He saw me from the far side of the chasm and held me in His sight. In desperation, I grabbed a hold of Him and wouldn’t let go.
Through a stranger in a foreign place, hundreds of miles away from home, God moved heaven and earth to showcase His relentless love for me. It was through this person that God brought to me that He began to reveal my brokenness and to show me how to hear my heavenly Father’s voice. I had been searching for this since I was 8 years old. With satan on my heels, the Lord steadied His bow and shattered the enemy’s lies with His truth.
Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see your King is coming to you seated on a donkey’s colt (John 12:15).
God revealed three things to me in this verse. The first is that I am His daughter, the King’s daughter. The second is that I am chosen. Zion refers to Jerusalem, His chosen people. You and I are His chosen children. Lastly, my Heavenly Father is my King, who is coming for me. He will not leave me abandoned.
Embracing the Father’s Love
Despite years of wandering and searching, God’s love never wavered. His relentless pursuit showcased His desire to lead, guide, and provide for His children. My story is a testament to our Heavenly Father’s love, a love that surpasses any earthly love.
A song I heard a couple of years ago made me stop in my tracks and think only someone who has been wandering and seeking could write such lyrics. I want to share a couple of lines from the song, Thank You Jesus for the Blood by Charity Gale…
I was lost
I was blind
I was running out of time
Sin separated
The breach was far too wide
But from the far side of the chasm
You held me in your sight…
You can also listen to the song on YouTube.
Father’s Love: Answering the Call
Jesus’s words, “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28-30), invite us to find solace in Him. My journey of brokenness and redemption highlights the importance of recognizing and responding to our Father’s love call. No matter how lost or broken you feel, the Heavenly Father’s love is always there, ready to embrace you. Heed His call, and you will find a love that never fails. O Daughter Zion, your King is coming just for you.
Take some time to reflect on your own journey. Are there areas where you feel a void or struggle to find love and acceptance? Acknowledge these areas, bring them to God in prayer, and ask Him to fill you with His love and peace.
PS: If you struggle or have mixed emotions about Father’s Day, I pray you feel and embrace your Heavenly Father’s passionate love for you. You are His beloved daughter; you can trust Him and know He keeps His promises.
Today’s guest post is by my friend and sister, Mrs. Angela McCollum.
Mrs. Angela McCollum is a prodigal daughter who heard the Father’s call to return home. Angela grew up in a small town in Tennessee, has been married for 17 years, and is a mom to a wonderful son. She chose a career as a dental hygienist, and her heavenly Father has been so faithful to provide for her. Two years ago, she began to have a deep desire to be obedient and yearned to know her heavenly father’s voice. Then she realized she had been wandering and needed to get back home. Her passion is to inspire women to hear the Father’s love call and come back home.
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