In the Bleak Midwinter by Christina Rossetti In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone; Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow, In the bleak midwinter, long ago. Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain; Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign. In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ. Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day, Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay; Enough for Him, whom angels fall before, The ox and ass and camel which adore. Angels and archangels may have gathered there, Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air; But His mother only, in her maiden bliss, Worshipped the beloved with a kiss. What can I give Him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part; Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.
She’s my favorite poet and this infamous Christmas lyric goes perfectly with what I’ve been writing about this week as I work to complete Irreplaceable: Recovering God’s Heart for Dads. This is a section from a chapter “All I’s on Hero Dads:”
Hero dads are interconnected with their kid’s hearts and always praying for them.
For years, I’ve pointed to the Old Testament saint Job as the quintessential example of this. The book begins by telling us that Job was “a man… totally devoted to God” who “hated evil with a passion.”[1] And here’s the example given to illustrate his devotion:
“His sons used to go and hold feasts in one another’s houses in turn; and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. And when the feast days had run their course, Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” This is what Job always did.[2]
Note the two words I’ve italicized above: Job was concerned about his kid’s hearts, and it was something he always did. And although it doesn’t say—here anyway—that the state of his kid’s hearts kept him up at night, it certainly got him out of bed early. “As the priest of a patriarchal household, Job is responsible for the welfare of his family.”[3] We might be tempted to view Job’s actions here as obsessive or excessive. But his habits are a reminder that involved, responsible, and committed dads are intensely focused on, and at times, distracted by, the health of their kid’s hearts. Related to this is the observation made by Tim Keller that “once you become a parent you will never be happier than your unhappiest child. Your heart is tied up with them.”[4]
This passage teaches us that for good dads like Job, faith is primarily a matter of the heart and involves atonement for sins. Of course, on this side of the cross, we know that the sacrifices and “burnt offerings” Job and other Old Testament saints offered pointed ultimately to Christ. The author of Hebrews explains this clearly and beautifully:
“Every priest goes to work at the altar each day, offers the same old sacrifices year in, year out, and never makes a dent in the sin problem. As a priest, Christ made a single sacrifice for sins, and that was it!… It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process… Once sins are taken care of for good, there’s no longer any need to offer sacrifices for them.”[5]
Again, the author Hebrews continues, getting even more practical:
“So, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God, into ‘the Holy Place.’ Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The ‘curtain’ into God’s presence is his body.
So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.”[6]
According to the above, and on this side of Jesus clearing the way “by the blood of his sacrifice,” prayers for our kid’s hearts should be done with full confidence in God’s loving acceptance and faithfulness to us. What’s more, our prayers should be packaged together with tons of creative encouragement and regular participation in a healthy church.
[1] Job 1:1, The Message.
[2] Job 1:4-5, NRSV.
[3] Norman C. Habel, The Book of Job (Philadelphia, Westminster, 1985), 88.
[4] Tweet from May 11, 2014.
[5] 10:11-18, The Message.
[6] 10:19-25, The Message.