Proverbs 15

My father had gentle hands and kind eyes. I remember very fondly his comforting care for me in times of trouble and his soft-spoken wisdom. I knew that he loved me, and I loved him.

If I look for the very best expression of wise fatherhood, I can do no better than to see the source of all fatherhood in God. If I want to know what that fatherhood looks like, I can do no better than to look at the Son of the Father, the visible manifestation of the invisible God.

Jesus and the Father were somehow one. When Jesus spoke with such knowledge and power, the Father was speaking. All fathers in this world have limited understanding, but the ascended Jesus sees all.

To know all and to be able to speak with a gentle tongue is a an amazing display of character. We can speak to God today and He listens. He invites us to bring our concerns to Him, to praise Him, and to thank Him for all His goodness. It is good for us to express our thanks to our heavenly Father. What an encouragement to our souls to know that our prayers are offered up to the Father through His perfectly righteous Son! The prayers of the upright are acceptable to Him.

How can we have a glad countenance in a world of regret and sorrow? Jesus has brought a smile to His Father's glorious face, and that smile is so full of joy that it now extends to all who are found in Him. Rejoice in the Lord always! Have a glad heart. It will make your face cheerful, and your life will be a continual feast.

Living in the joy of the Lord is true wisdom. Even thought the pathway of the righteous goes through this present moment of affliction, this road of following Christ in the joy of the Holy Spirit leads upward.

We have good news granted to us in the Father's joy. His righteous requirements have been fully satisfied. His Son has done all things well. Our Father is very glad. Though He is far from the wicked, He hears the prayer of the righteous. He comes to us with the gentleness of soft-spoken, powerful wisdom. We know that He loves us, and that we love Him.