Father, May I? – Coat of Many Colors – May 11th

Father, May I Praise?
May 11, 2021

Coat of Many Colors

Isaiah 61:1-3:, ‘”The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”’ (NKJV)

What child does not like to play dress-up? Some of my favorite snaps are of my children, and then later in life, my grambabies, dressed up in my clothes, my mother’s clothes, costumes, a treasure chest of dress-up clothing. I can close my eyes and still see my oldest daughter at the clunky age of two, tottering along, clumsily stumbling, in her grandmother’s high heels, which Chelle called ‘heel hops’. In fact, to this day, I still call high-heeled shoes, ‘heel hops’. Her neck was adorned with gaudy jewelry and a smashing dress hung from her little body that she tripped over as she walked. In a second memory, another daughter is swathed in my mom’s red lace prom dress and a different set of ‘heel hops’ and a fancy hat sits crooked on her head. Yet another recollection is one of my favorites of my gramson, all decked out with a pirate patch, Superman cape and his dad’s fishing gators, a play sword tossed carelessly over a shoulder.

How fascinating to think of playing dress-up in my Father’s garments of praise. I imagine trolling through His wardrobe, snatching that thatch of material; no, not that one! Maybe this is it. Nope, that’s close but not quite right. Ahh, this one! Pulling out the particular piece I unearthed, holding it up, trying it on for size, testing how it looks and sounds. Perhaps there’s a better one? No, this really is ‘the one’, as I pull it over my head, pull it around me, wrap myself, cover all of me, warm me, robe me, drape me, shield myself, clothe myself in my Father’s garments of praise that lift a spirit, adorning it with hope and trust. What moments earlier was downcast and sullen, soars suddenly as I clothe myself in my Father’s robe.

I want to know the Father’s opinion about everything!
Won’t you JOURNEY with me this month as we ask our Father, ‘MAY I?’’