65. Called Children of God
Romans 9:26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.
The promise of a Messiah has been fulfilled and that changes everything: those who are not God’s people are now called the children of the living God. Not only are they now the people of God, but also, even more significantly, they are the children of the living God. This promise is for us who believe that Jesus is the promised Christ.
God is responsible for His people as a shepherd is responsible for dumb sheep. God is responsible for His children as a parent is responsible for vulnerable children. No human bond is as strong or as intimate as that between parent and child; and it must be so, as designed by God, in order that dependent children will be properly taken care of and the children will grow up to be responsible and contributing members of society.
Every parent is familiar with the privilege and responsibility to care for, nurture, provide for, pray for, protect and defend their children. Therefore, we have a good feeling and sense about how Father God feels about us.Our Father who is in heaven cares even more deeply than we can imagine about our wellbeing, and He will surely listen to our prayers. We can implicitly trust Him to carry out His good and gracious will for our good. Like children, who don’t always or even usually know what is good for them, we can trust the Father to know best. Children don’t always like the decisions of their parents; but in stable families, at the end of the day, they submit to their wisdom. It should be easy for children of the living God to submit to His perfect will and infinite wisdom, for we know He loves us. When we believe the Gospel simply and profoundly it becomes easier: our Father is good.