A Good, Good Father

   Recently, I was pondering a friends' statement that God doesn't seem to be Good 'all the time, ' the way we often declare that He is.  Sometimes He doesn't answer a heartfelt prayer.... Either He's deaf to it or He hears but doesn't choose to fulfill our requests.  I knew this wasn't true, but I was asking God for a way to explain it, and He asked me (as He often does to help me see) about my own grown children.
   If one of them was to call and ask for my help, what would I do?  Would I ponder awhile and consider whether or not I wanted to help him?  Would I be too busy with 'greater things' to take time to address her need?  Would I decide, perhaps, that he didn't deserve my help? Would I let her flounder?   How ridiculous this seems when we think about our love for the children God has given us.  And yet we attribute these attitudes to our Heavenly Father, who has no imperfections, as we do, nor any limitations or conditions on His love. We are sometimes still stuck with a very inaccurate vision of God, because of the imperfect human fathers of our experience.  Getting that picture of God with His arms folded, waiting for us to either screw up or measure up...out of our heads, can be difficult.
   Although we may not understand why we have not been able to receive the answer or help God has sent, we can be sure that He has sent it. We can be certain that the very first moment we prayed to Him (in fact sometimes before we even knew the need existed), He moved to help us. God often sends answers to our prayers by prompting other humans (who don't always respond to that prompting.) Sometimes, He knows what we're asking for isn't best for us. Sometimes  He knows that what we want will harm another.  However, if we're asking for something He, in His Wisdom, knows is a good thing....He has already quickly responded, as we would, to meet our need...to touch a heart...to heal a body, to relieve suffering, to encourage a soul, to mend a broken spirit, to open the eyes of a deceived heart.
   If we, or others, have not been able to receive the help He has sent, then we can know that the problem does not lie with Him.  He has acted, but for whatever reason (including things like human will, lack of faith, a lack of understanding how to use the authority He's given us, and the wiles of the Enemy), we haven't seen it come to pass. He is still Good All the Time, loves us All the Time, and, as the Good Shepherd and The Hound of Heaven all rolled into one,  He will never stop acting on our behalf.  If we, as the imperfect parents we are, would never stand by and refuse to act on behalf of our children to the uttermost extent of our capabilities and to the point of our own even physical sacrifice, how much more will our Perfect Heavenly Father extend Himself for us.
   Let us never malign His Character due to our own lack of understanding.  Call out to Him..yes.  Tell Him we're upset and grieved...yes...Share every heartfelt emotion with Him..yes.  Just don't ever consider Him impotent or uncaring or less than the God who cared enough about us to come rescue us in Person.