A Fatherhood You Can Feel

Jo Black June 21, 2024 4 5

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Hosea 11: 1-4 (NIVUK)

1 ‘When Israel was a child, I loved him,
    and out of Egypt I called my son.
2 But the more they were called,
    the more they went away from me.
They sacrificed to the Baals
    and they burned incense to images.
3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
    taking them by the arms;
but they did not realise
    it was I who healed them.
4 I led them with cords of human kindness,
    with ties of love.
To them I was like one who lifts
    a little child to the cheek,
    and I bent down to feed them.

It is almost impossible to capture the beauty and heartbreak of this passage in words, so let’s breathe it in and feel it instead.

Verse 1 - Feel the gaze of a Father on a suffering child, sweeping them into His arms and away from danger.

Verse 2 – Feel the frustration of a repeated, unheeded voice, calling again and again. Feel the hoarseness in the throat. The burning of held back tears. The dread like a knot in the stomach as bad choices are made, loyalty is misplaced and distance is enforced.

Verse 3 – Feel the soft, warm, trusting grip of tiny hands on large fingers. Feel the ache of a back stooped to enable tiny legs. Feel the lurch of hurt as efforts are ignored.

Verse 4 – Feel the sticky warm intimacy of cheek on cheek, the slop of someone else’s food on your clothes, the invisible connection of tangible love for another that usurps all messiness.

Turn the reading into a time of prayer. Feel the Father’s hands reaching out to take yours once again and lead you through the day. No matter how often you have pushed them aside, feel their strength, welcome and love. Feel the faithfulness of His fathering and give thanks that through it all He is here with you now.

Prayer:

Father, thank you that through it all we can be called your sons and daughters. We know parenthood isn’t easy. Help us to hold onto your ties of love.

Amen