Down and Forgotten

Rizen Swain

Sometimes when we feel down and forgotten about, God will communicate with us just to remind us that he, our father is still near. It is unfortunate that some of us will never know what it is like to have a father who comes back for you and keeps you in mind. It is common in some parts of the world for fathers to leave or walk away and then never return. How great is it to know that our father the Most High will never walk away, but instead he is always present. All we have to do is call out to him and ask. Communication isn’t always easy.

Amos 3:7 “For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.”

Last week I was going through many ups and downs about the world and the way that I see it now. I now notice that life is truly short and it can be all done and gone tomorrow. This began to make me wonder… what is the point in all of this? I mean the realization that nothing even matters once we leave this material world almost left me with an anxiety in my chest that only Jesus can rescue me from. Ever since I lost my earthly father, I see life differently. Ever since I lost my earthly father who adopted me, I feel like I have been stripped of one of the most influential role in my life which is a man. This man was able to show me the point in life while he was alive and it’s like I see it more and more while he is gone. I say this is the most influential because I am a woman who needs protecting. As I grow I realize the balance that is intended.

Proverbs 22:6
“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Psalm 45:10
“Listen, O daughter, give attention and incline your ear:
Forget your people and your father’s house;”

When I begin to cook, clean, or even look at how he organized the guitar he got me when I was young, I realize how much he really loves me. Although I didn’t behave in the ways that he wanted me to most of the time, this man taught me everything I know! I would seek him for assurance and validation. My father has left me memories and skills that will continue to live through me daily. But the Most Hight wants us to do the same with him! My father adopted me and I have a biological father here who still doesn’t seem near. Those thoughts almost began to take over my reality. Because the reality is that I still have a father!

Proverbs 3:5
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;”

The point I am trying to make is that last week Jesus remembered me! The Most High is great at making sure we are reminded that he keeps us in mind! He is with us who have been experiencing loss this year. My losses were becoming my reality in my mind last week as I felt forgotten about. But I got a call from a man named Joseph offering me a job in another state. And usually I would consult with my earthly father about an opportunity such as this. However, God reminded me last week that he is consult! When I heard the name Joseph I automatically thought about Jesus’ father and Jacobs favorite son! Both stories I hold so dear to me.

Luke 1:26-33
“ In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed[a] to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”[b] But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Joseph was Jesus’ earthly father I the new testament and Joseph in the old testament was a dream interpreter who was favored by his father and of course by the Most High. He stayed humble and practiced forgiveness! What a gift is it to have a covering? Jesus was born to Joseph and Mary in a dirty manger. A king was born and endured the pain I felt last week plus some more. When I received the call from the man named Joseph I automatically felt as if God was letting me know that my father was near and the promises are still on the way.

Genesis 39:21
But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.