There is a spiritual war going on, unseen by the natural eye. The destructive power of this war is evident in the carnage that it leaves behind. The destruction is seen in the eyes of little children who have not been afforded the protective mantle of a father. It is seen in the antics of adolescent pranksters as they test the boundaries of their newfound freedom, or you can hear it in the conversation of adults as they recount the struggles and pains of their lives. The common thread of these stories of pain or regret is that of a missing father.
A father is divinely called to provide a covering for his children. There is scriptural foundation that highlights the importance of fathers. In Genesis 2:7, God created man. In Genesis 2:8, God planted the garden. In Genesis 2:15, God put the man in the garden and gave him instruction to “dress it and keep it.” Oh, if you read Genesis 2:8, he put the man whom he had formed, but there were no instructions yet.
When many people hear the word caretaker, they immediately think of women, but Adam was the first caretaker. Adam, the first father, was given the task of caring for the garden and all that was in the garden. Everything in the garden came up under the protection of Adam.
When Adam and Eve were evicted from the Garden of Eden, the covenant had been broken between Adam and God, but the assignment to Adam had not been cancelled. If you read Genesis 3:23, the assignment to Adam is given again: “Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.” Here we find that Adam had to have a more intimate knowledge of the earth and all things upon the earth because the ease with which it could have been planted and harvested had changed. Now Adam had to labor at his job.
The same protective role that Adam had been assigned was taken on by Moses when he saw how his people were being oppressed. But Moses took matters into his own hands. Moses jumped in front of God. God had a plan to rescue the Israelites and God had spared Moses for a great work in the delivery of the Israelites. There is a plan for godly men today to return to their rightful place as caretakers. Do not be deceived by the do-nothing bystanders, the naysayers, or the workers of iniquity when they try to discourage you from doing the work of the Lord. When the naysayers come, and they will, remember these things:
1. You don’t have to be perfect. You must have a circumcised heart. A heart that is not made of stone, but is compassionate and will yield to godly instruction. 2 Samuel 12:1-7a Nathan, the prophet, said this to David. “There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds; But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a traveler unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dress it for the man that was come to him. David’s compassion rose up, And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had not pity. And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man.” You may be the man in a situation, but God is not short on his promise to forgive the repentant heart. David had been shown his sin and he repented, and God used him mightily.
2. You don’t have to be perfect. You must be available. God needed a prophet to speak to his people and in Isaiah 6:8 it reads thusly, “Also, I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” Now, before the priest could be commissioned as a prophet, he recognized that he was not worthy in his own self to carry the message for the Lord. He admitted he was a man of unclean lips and dwelled in the midst of a people of unclean lips, but God sanctified him and ordained him for service. Availability to be used by God is time well invested.
3. You don’t have to be perfect. You must be sure who has sent out the clarion call. The enemy will disguise himself as a messenger of light and you must discern who is calling you to action, just as Moses did in Exodus. In Exodus 3:2, Moses, who is tending sheep for his father-in-law Jethro, sees a burning bush. See, the burning bush got Moses’ attention. Your burning bush may be the plight of young people moving through life with no direction. Is it the spiritual and economic attack on the family? Is it the bold manner in which vulgar and disrespectful language is the norm?
Moses received his assignment, but he wanted to make sure he could truthfully and adequately tell anyone who asked him who sent him with the message deliverance. Moses made sure who was sending him out into a hostile environment. God told Moses to tell the people, “I AM hath sent me unto you (Exodus 3:14).” He who is the “I AM” is the one who is self-sufficient. He is self-existent. He is the one who is constant and eternal. He is the one who is unchangeable and will accomplish what he will. He who is the “I AM” is the Alpha and the Omega and he is without beginning or end. The one who stands as a caring father and answers the clarion call of a godly caretaker, renders service unto the Lord and does not stand in his own strength, but stands at the will of the one who can deliver.
