"Where's My dad?!"

This morning I was reading in Psalm 31 and came across this little line in verse 22:
"In my alarm I said, "I am cut off from your sight!" I really was touched by David's plea in these words. David cries out almost in surprise, "Where is my dad?!"
Have you ever walked through a store with your child and they let go of your hand and it took a second or two before you realized it? It's not hard! Their little hands are so tiny and their grip is so soft that if you get distracted you can easily lose grip and not realize it. Once when I was maybe 4 years old, I was walking with my mother in the old Almart store back home and without even knowing it I had let go of her hand somehow and by the time I snapped out of my little 4 year old fog and realized what had happened, I was walking hand in hand with an older man. I have no idea who he was or why he didn't say anything. He didn't try to lead me anywhere and he didn't say a word when I let go of his hand and went in search of my mother. Maybe he was an angel sent there to protect me, I don't know. But I was panicked for a minute or two until I found my mother a few aisles away. She was unaware I had even been lost, not because she didn't care but because in those days it wasn't a big deal. I never felt afraid for my welfare, just afraid I had lost my mother.
Sometimes we feel that way in our lives as adults. We don't realize that we've strayed away from our Father. Maybe by skipping time with Him on a daily basis. Maybe by letting the cares and concerns of the world intrude on our prayer times. Whatever it is, we suddenly find ourselves without a hand to hold and thinking our father has lost sight of us. The good news is He knows right where we are and with a simple nudge, guides us back to His presence.
As dads...particularly as divorced dads...we can feel like our Father has lost sight of us as well. We feel like we failed our church, our families, our friends and our God. We feel like we have lost the hand of our children and thereby lost the hand of God. But He has never moved and if you are listening, he is calling you back to His side, into His sight and holding out His hand for you to grip. He never stopped loving you, regardless of the circumstance. he knows you feel lost and need His hand to hold. David realized this in the second half of the verse: "yet you heard my plea for mercy when I cried to you for help"
David got it...now it's up to us. Hold out your hand...your Dad is right here.