The praise of the Father

July 3, 2011, 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — MATTHEW 11:25-30

On that occasion, Jesus said, “I give praise to You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, You have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been Your gracious will. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal Him.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and humbled of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy, and My burden light.”

Reflection

Such has been your glorious will. A friend lost her husband due to heart attack. At the wake, I was amazed to find the late husband looking so peaceful inside the coffin and the wife talking very happily with all the visitors. This made me a bit suspicious. There must be something I did not know about this loving couple.

So I asked the wife why she (and the late husband as well) was so calm and happy in spite of the tragedy. I will never forget her reply. “After all these years, Father,” she said, “I have learned to believe that if something unexpected happens in my life, it must only be from God. If it is something I expect, then it comes from me because I expect it. And if it comes from God, I faithfully believe there is grace after or behind it.”

God can only give us good things. Such has been His gracious will. To discover the meaning and the message of God in every event of our lives is to be childlike. The wise and the learned will find excuse and blame. The childlike will encounter the loving hand of God.

Praise and thank God for everything in your life today, including those you consider bad things.

SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2010,” ST PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: books@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph