The Heart of God

Matthew 23:37 - “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.” (NIV)

God has the heart of a father. If you’ve read my post on the Trinity you will understand that I am not making a metaphorical statement; God’s “Heart” literally is “God the Father”. If you’ve read my post on The Fatherhood of God you have seen the scriptural basis that demonstrates how God’s fatherhood is not only in name, it is His character. With God’s fatherhood being a matter of fact, what do you think would happen if a person, or a church, caught hold of the heart of God?

I have been attending, participating in, and serving the same church for my entire life. I remember about 20 years ago when my church was visited by a group of young adults who were on a road trip visiting multiple churches, representing a discipleship program for young adults. They did a little singing and choreography performance, and shared a message about how God was doing a new thing in their lives.

At the time our church had the same problem typical with many churches. We had a good Sunday school and youth program, but after the youth finished high school they tended to leave the church and go their separate ways. The problem was that as the youth grew mature enough to take ownership of their own faith, they didn’t have any grounding from which to build on. It was obvious that there was something missing, but we didn’t recognize what it was until we were visited by this group of young adults, who had what we were missing; the Fathering of God. On that Sunday there was something that captured the hearts of the church leadership, and before long the entire church caught the vision.

Have you ever been to a church that lives in the Father’s heartbeat. Let me tell you there is nothing like it in the whole world. Before you even step through the doors you are overwhelmed with the love, the peace, and the passion of the Father. 20 years ago my church put the vision of fathering our next generation into action. We developed our own discipleship program modeled after the one that had visited us, and now we demonstrate that same vision all over the country, and even into other nations. We have graduated scores of young adults from our discipleship program, as Generational Leaders with impeccable character and vision. We have taken hold of fathering the next generation so strongly, that we have even changed our name to Generational Hope. The vision we planted 20 years ago has grown into a mighty tree with offspring programs in a number of churches around the world, with graduates filling leading positions in large businesses, and even with representatives in the US Congress.

What is it that has made this program grow and succeed instead of falling by the wayside like many programs at many other churches have? The Father’s heartbeat. What young adult in their right mind would voluntarily enroll in and pay their own way through a program of hard work, study, and discipline, sacrificing a year or more of their life at a time when they should be thinking about their education, career, marriage, and future? Many of these young people even come from other churches and carry burdens of family problems, abuse, drugs and every dysfunction you can imagine. Most of them have no idea what they are getting into; but they are drawn by the Father’s heart which shines on the faces of those who attended before them.

One thing is certain; they will never be the same. Have you ever seen a miracle? Every year I watch amazed as a group of broken, hurting, timid, uncertain young adults, are transformed into sons and daughters with the vision of Father God, to make all of the world His children.

Isaiah 61:1-3 - “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.” (NIV)

Healed cancer, restored limbs, even raising the dead have nothing that compares to the miraculous power of God to change a person’s life. When you plug into the Power of the Blood from the Father’s Heartbeat, so that you carry the same burden as He does for His lost children, that is when you will find that no miracle is impossible.


James :)