"My First Prayer to Daddy"

I used to cling to daddy, everywhere I went.

I trusted him, I depended on him, and he was tops in my eyes.

He delighted in me; I was his 'little girl'.

I knew that he would never leave me

and I believed that whole-heartedly until the day he left.

I was hurting so much that I was numb.

He was no longer "Daddy" to me, he was my Distant Dad.

To me "Daddy" meant the strong protecting arms

that were always there.

And boy was I religious! The only Sunday I missed church was

the one time when I had the chicken pox when I was five.

I knew any common Sunday school Bible story you could rattle off,

and I'd prayed the prayer 3 times to be saved!

To me it was all a superstition I followed.

I did it to be a good kid in my family's eyes

and to make sure that I went to the 'good place' when I died.

And that's how I continued to live until one night...

You see, I was ten, I was broken,

and I found myself on the alter at camp.

Kids all around me were crying out to a God they knew.

I zoned and to me it was just me and God.

On my knees I cried out

"DADDY! I WANT TO KNOW YOU, NOT JUST HEAR ABOUT YOU!"

That was when He became real to me.

He filled my hole for a Daddy

and He is more perfect than any earthly Dad could ever be,

but best of all, He has promised,

"I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5)

He is entirely trustworthy,

and He loves me more than I will ever know!

He is my refuge, my stronghold, HE IS MY DADDY.

He wraps His loving arms around me

and carries me through the hard times.

He picks me up when I have fallen

and He mends my wounds with care.

And I know, with all my heart that Daddy's arms are always there.

(copyright Evelyn Worthington)
(written 11/5/2007)