Out of any possible name or position, God chose to be our Father. He could have chosen for us to be his servants, robots, or merely just not have a relationship with us at all but instead, He chose for us to be called His children.
He is a relational God. We see a glimpse of this when Jesus was baptized in John 3:16-19:
“The moment Jesus came up out of the baptismal waters, the skies opened up and he saw God’s Spirit—it looked like a dove—descending and landing on him. And along with the Spirit, a voice: “This is my Son, chosen and marked by my love, delight of my life.”
Here in Australia we recently celebrated Father’s Day. A day where families take time to honour, appreciate and thank our earthly fathers. Many call their fathers, shower them with gifts, and spend time with them.
The last two Father’s days have been different for me since the passing of my own father. I used to be the one calling and hearing his voice and the joy that I had taken the time to call was precious; something I hold onto now more than ever. I miss him terribly and days like Father’s Day are especially difficult. I know I am not alone in this regard, some of us did not grow up with an earthly father or did not have a great relationship with him.
God however has always been there; he has consistently been there. His presence, love, protection, and provision has not been amiss throughout the ages. He has shown us what a Father’s love can do and mean.
Characteristics of His fatherly love include:
He disciplines us to nurture our hearts to a healthy place.
He loves us through our pain:
- he empathizes
- he identifies with our pain
- He walks with us and never leaves us.
He shows patience and understanding in the midst of insecurity and confusion.
When we fail:
- He does not define us by our failings, mistakes, or shortcomings
- it doesn’t change His love for us.
Our father is :
- Sacrificial –
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” ( John 3:16) - Patient –
“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” ( 2 Peter 3:9) - Kind –
“For His lovingkindness is great toward us,
And the truth of the Lord is everlasting.
Praise the Lord God” ( Psa. 117:2) - Faithful –
“God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19) - Unchanging –
“For I, the Lord, do not change…..” (Malachi 3:6) - Forgiving –
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1John 1:9)
Can I encourage us to take some time to examine our relationship with God? He is an all-powerful, righteous King but He is also our loving Father. Often we miss out on this aspect of His nature toward us because of our own wounds due to our earthly relationships with our fathers. God made up His mind about you a long time ago:
“just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love, He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.” ( Ephesians 1:4-5)
He wants us to draw close to Him and experience the fullness of His fatherly embrace. I remember as a young girl running into my father’s arms and he would lift me up and swirl me around, I would giggle with such joy and would hold on to him so tightly. I knew I was safe, loved, and treasured. I would come to him time and time again just to experience that warm embrace.
I can still do that today with my heavenly Father, spending time in His presence brings a rich aroma of peace, comfort, and joy because I sense His loving arms around me when I come to Him. He is always waiting there for me.
“And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:18)
