A daughter is one of the most beautiful gifts this world has to give.
- Laurel Atherton
Psalms of Delight...
Most of the Bible's Psalms give thanks to God on one or more levels. Commanded to do so, Christians aught to make the time to praise God for His glorious nature, creative genius and many gifts to mankind.
Psalms of Delight are written in concert with Psalms in the Night. Both series contain Modern Psalms meant to comfort and inspire those seeking the Omni-God revealed in Scripture.
A Precious Daughter Summary
I worried it might not happen, but the fatherly love I received at the birth of my firstborn son grew even larger when my daughter was born. The cutest most petite baby girl I'd ever seen was sweeter to her mom and me than "honey on the comb." For two decades we celebrated and cultivated her sensitivity to God and our family, friends and pets. The words her mom wrote at our daughter's birth rang true throughout her childhood and teenage years. "Bethany Telah, your name means praise and that's what I feel every time I look at you. Your eyes remind me of the prayers I prayed before you were born. Petite and priceless, Jesus made you the perfect daughter for me."
A Precious Daughter
Modern Psalm of Delight 19
They say "time changes things." I think it's also true the "things change time." Sadly, happy memories fade, distancing us from people and things we loved. Circumstances change as well, casting memories in golden hues or blanketing them in shadows of sorrow. Other moments seem etched in time. For better or worse they stand as memorials to who we were and where we've been. Anchored in our souls, they bind us to our past through sun and wind, rain and shine.
Such was the joy my wife and I felt during the birth and childhood of our precious daughter Bethany Telah Pennington. Her middle name, like that of her older brother Derek Judah, signified the praise we felt to You for giving us such a priceless gift. By naming her Telah, short for Tehillah, we hoped her life would mirror the Hebrew word for singing, spontaneous dancing and boasting in God. Taken together, Beth Telah means "house of praise." Of course, as You know, Bethany Telah literally means "house of praising figs." Had some fun with that. Still Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, is a sacred place being the place where Your Son ascended into heaven and will come again in glory.
Thanks to the special grace You gave at the birth of her brother, Bethi was born already deeply loved. From her first breath, her mom and I were goners. By the time we were kissing her beautiful little face, hands and feet she owned us lock stock and barrel. We didn't mind. Such sweetness in such a delightful package provided countless hours of love and affection accompanied by tens of thousands of kisses, tickles and hugs.
She was a big hit with her brother Derek as well. Between the three of us, not to mention extended family and friends, Bethany was continually bathed in warmhearted tenderness. You gave me a son for roughhousing and exploring. You gave me a daughter to snuggle and adore. Set Derek down and it was off to the races but Bethany loved being in our arms so much her mom swears she carried her until her dangling feet drug the ground. Animals too loved her gentle spirit. I remember trick or treating around our neighborhood when she was five or six. Derek was always a couple of houses ahead, straining to get as much candy as possible. Beth always lagged a couple houses behind, petting every kitty she could find.
Another Beth, Elizabeth Stone, nailed it when she noted, "Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." This is why I always felt at rest with my babies near. Hugging them to my chest, I was as close to whole as I've been in this world. Thankfully Bethi was always near, happiest quietly playing at our feet or resting in our arms.
I wonder if You feel similarly about us? Are we pieces of Your heart wondering around? Is the Omni God more complete with us near? Was the incredibly high price of Christ's atonement paid, at least in part, to draw and keep us close and eternally safe from harm? Theologically I have my doubts it's all about us. Given issues like the cosmic angelic rebellion raging across Three Heavens there's a lot more going on than "Jesus loves me this I know." But as a dad, I wonder the source of my parental love, if not a dim reflection of our Father in heaven's.
Makes me think of a time when Beth was playing on the front porch. Though almost never out of sight, I as laying on the couch when I heard her terrified scream. Without a thought, fatherly love hurled me at the door. There I found her terror turned to delight as our young sheltie licked at her tears. Shelly's leash had briefly wrapped around Beth's little legs, toppling her screaming to the ground only to be comforted by furry love until all was right with the world again.
We've often spoken about how that moment might apply to eternity. As our Creator and Savior I'm so thankful the Bible reveals that You're not willing any should perish. Yet, according to Scripture the free gift of salvation is conditional. And according to Jesus, as much as half the end time Church may be eternally lost, suffering the fate of the Five Foolish Virgins. So here's the terrible question. If "terror's" the right adjective to describe my daughter's cry that hurled me to rescue her, how would You describe the scream of a soul as it's cast from life into eternal damnation? A scream that, being Omniscient, You've heard from eternity backwards?
Perhaps such unpleasant and perhaps irreverent questions shouldn't be associated with beautiful memories of innocent children. Yet if not for their sake, who's and if not now, when? Like the Rich Man and Lazarus, this moment may be our last. If not by believers, then by whom? Those who doubt, and even disparage, Your goodness? Besides, compared to our ancient and advanced Adversaries, aren't we all children born yesterday and dying tomorrow?
As an earthly father I've shared something of Your nature and concern. Even my sense of care and responsibility doesn't end with my daughter's physical health and emotional welfare. While they mean the world to me, what are a few earthly years when compared to an eternity of pain or pleasure? Nor is Your Kingdom about "my four and no more." The love I have for my kids extends beyond the horizon of our home. There are hundreds of millions of Bethanys and Dereks, many far less blessed.
Father to father I beg You for the salvation of my kids and their generation. Please move parents to pray in ways You'll hear. For those of us who are, answer our asking, seeking and knocking today! "Rend the heavens and come down," bringing the gift of repentance and a New Pentecost with an immediate global yield of a million upper rooms. Forgive our sins, fill us and our little ones with the promise of Your presence, provision and protection. Renew our minds, revealing to and in us the glorious relationship You so often describe in Scripture. Nothing short of being transformed into New Creations! Such as that described by the greatest prayer of the Apostle Paul.
Our families are besieged on every side today by unprecedented temptation and sin. Help us believe to the point of experiencing the fantastic promises of Scripture, that we might "overcome evil with good." Help us comprehend the glorious gifts awaiting those who please You. Help us glimpse the mind boggling eternal rewards awaiting the righteous, the likes of which "eye has not seen, ear has not heard nor has ever entered the minds of men." I want these things for my daughter. I want them because of my daughter. What better gift but that the love and joy Bethany and I've enjoyed could continue to grow throughout endless ages?
And should Your return to Earth tarry, I want these blessings for my grandchildren, their children and grandchildren. That generations yet unborn should revel in the gifts of love and family You bestowed on Cathy and I with the births of Derek and Bethi. Show Your love for us by helping us cherish one another enough to hide Your word in our hearts that our family might live with You in Heaven forever. Not missing a single blessing from "the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom all the families in heaven and earth are named."
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