Where Are You, Daddy?

I was walking through a park the other day when what I came upon brought a huge smile to my face.  The scene was of a little girl and her father playing together.  First, he was pushing her on the swing until she called out that she wanted to stop.  Then, squealing in delight, she ran as fast as her little legs would go, shouting, “Catch me, Daddy!”  She ran a little way, turned around, but her father was no where to be seen.

I slowed to watch what would happen.  I had observed her father slip behind some shrubbery.  The little girl didn’t seem at all dismayed that she couldn’t readily see him.  She trotted in one direction and then another, calling out, “Where are you, Daddy?”  When he finally jumped out from his hiding place, she ran to him laughing all the way.  He hugged her, lifted her up and set her down again, took her hand, and the two walked off chattering happily.

It struck me the total trust the little girl had in her father.  He had seemingly disappeared but she showed no fear.  Instead, she looked and called out, “Where are you, Daddy?” When he appeared, it wasn’t relief she exhibited, but simple joy in his presence.  I knew she never doubted that he would come.

I thought to myself, if only we were as trusting in our Heavenly Father.  We can’t see Him with our eyes; perhaps we feel He is hiding, but the evidence of His presence is all around us.  We can see the things He has made, and we can see the results of His blessings in our lives.  We can sense His nearness when we feel afraid, and we can feel His joy just by thinking about Him.  We may forget His presence, but He is always there, just as we are reminded in Genesis 28:16: “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not even aware of it.”

There is a song, one of my very favorites, that brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it.  It reminds me of the vastness of God’s love, of His overwhelming and undeserved grace, of His mercy without end:  Surely The Presence Of The Lord Is In This Place by Lanny Wolfe

Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.
I can feel His mighty power and His grace.
I can feel the brush of angel’s wings
I see glory on His face
Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.

In the midst of His children
The Lord said He would be.
It doesn’t take very many
It can be just two or three.
And I feel that same sweet Spirit
That I’ve felt oft times before.
Surely I can say
I’ve been with the Lord

There’s a holy hush around us
As God’s glory fills this place.
I’ve touched the hem of His garment
I can almost see His face.
And my heart is overflowing
With the fullness of His joy.
I know without a doubt
That I’ve been with the Lord