Father Knows Best

How many of you remember the old television show, “Father Knows Best”? I remember seeing some of the re-runs when I was a kid. (NO I am not old enough to have seen it first hand – it aired in the 50’s for crying out loud!) I always thought highly of the show, although I never felt it depicted “real life” – at least not MY life. My dad was pretty smart in some areas, but I would have never depicted him with the attribute of always “knowing best”. Especially in my teen-age years, I often thought I knew what was best, and that dad was just out of touch with the times. Looking back, I am glad that dad taught us to respect those who were older and more experienced than us, especially now that I see some of this generation who do not respect anyone, let alone those who are wiser and have some authority. Many call this the rebellious stage, but I think that it is more a state of selfishness.

Too often, I run across folks who have this same relationship with God. They act like God, and his Holy Bible, are “out of touch” with society today. Too many “rules”. He just doesn’t understand that some things that He condemned in the Bible are OK now because people are much more tolerant and accepting these days. After all, if so many thousands, or millions, of people don’t see a problem, then it must be OK. This is nothing more than rationalization of sinful deeds and selfishness. In essence, they think they know more than God!

God told Isaiah, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,...As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9. Job had a similar short sightedness. After enduring all his troubles, and after rebuking his so-called friends, Job 32:1 tells us that “he was righteous in his own eyes.” God had just told Satan in chapters 1 and 2 that “there is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil,” yet, in chapters 38 – 41, God had to remind Job who was in control. I challenge everyone to read these chapters and meditate on the awesome power of our Father, the Creator of everything.

Father, I pray that I will always trust You completely and that my attitude will be the same as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who proudly proclaimed, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." (Daniel 3: 16-18)