"Who Do You Say I am?"

I am reading through a book called "Speaking Mom-ese" by Lisa Welchel. It is a short devotional book with ispirational thoughts, prayers, and reflections. As I was reading this mornings reflection I was really challenged by a reference she made to a bible study by T.W. Hunt called Disciples Prayer Life. In this book you are challenged to reflect on your relationship with God and the way you identify yourself with him i.e. master to servant, teacher to student, coach to team member, etc...

At the end of the chapter you are encouraged to rewrite Psalm 23 from your own perspestive, using the relationship you identified as your unique prayer identity with the Lord. I was so encouraged by Lisa's reflection on Psalm 23 as she identifed with the Lord as her "daddy."

Here is Psalm 23 from her perspective:

The Lord is my Daddy,
I will be loved and adored.
I crawl up into his lap
and am safely wrapped in his arms.

I lay my head against his heart
and find rest for my mind body and soul.
I learn to trust.
I take his hand; he takes mine,
and we walk together through my life.
Surely I will face fear, hurt, disappointment, and loss,
but you are bigger than any ugly monster hiding under my bed.
I will not be afraid of the dark because you are the Light.

I don't even think about tomorrow,
what I will eat, wear, or where I will live,
because you are my Abba.
I don't need to worry;
you will take good care of me--I am your little girl!

You are the Father of my future,
and You have blessings and hope planned for me.
You enjoy giving me good gifts.
I make you smile when I dance
with giddy thanksgiving in your presence.

As I read over her personalization of this Psalm I was really moved by it's sweetness and innocence. At one time I feel like I viewed God in this way but over time my view has changed. Experiences have broadened my perspective so that I identify with God in different ways depending on the season of life I am in. I think this is true for all of us....yet while I was reading over Lisa's Psalm it really made me long for more of a relationship like this. To crawl into my "daddy's" lap and bury my head in his chest as he protects me from the "monsters under my bed," simply because I am his little girl.

He said to them, "but who do you say that I am?" Matthew 16:15

So, who do you say He is??