Our Heavenly Father

But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. (Isaiah 64:8)

Some earthly fathers are loving and kind, would do anything for us, never raise a hand in anger, and teach us, their children, what is right and what is wrong. Yet some fathers are the opposite of those traits, and some are not in their children’s lives at all due to death, divorce or abandonment. The type of father we have or had can color the view we have of our Heavenly Father. But we must know who our Heavenly Father truly is and how much He loves us.

A father in the biological sense does not necessarily mean a father who cares for us. A biological father may not have any of the above listed traits and often a non-biological father will. Depending on which type of father we have, one who is loving, or one who is not, when we call God our Father, our earthly father’s attributes may come to mind and cause us to think that God is just like the fathers we know on earth. He is so much more and so much better.

If we have a loving earthly father, then it is easier to see God as loving. If not, we struggle with the term ‘God the Father’ remembering only the anger and cruelty from our own. We think of God as one who punishes, a God of all “nos” who wants to spoil all our fun, or wants to beat us into submission. If we are one who did not have a father growing up, we may not know what a father is supposed to be like at all.

The original Greek in the Bible patḗr – father; means one who imparts life and is committed to it; a progenitor, bringing into being to pass on the potential for likeness.

This definition says more than we might see at first reading. A father is one who imparts life whether biologically or spiritually and emotionally. An adoptive, foster, step-father, or grandfather can impart life in our hearts. Feeling loved and cared for by a father figure can bring life to those who feel dead inside.

A father is committed to the life of the one he loves and can cause that child to become like him.  An evil father can do the same. We can become like either of them or we can become like our Father, God, the one who truly imparted life.

God created us and is committed to guide us into becoming more like Him. When we were lost, He sent His son to redeem us and bring us back to Him. Though we may not have a loving father here on earth, we can always have a loving Father with us. He is committed to bringing about the best in our lives when we accept Him as our Father.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (James 1:17)

There is one way to call God Father and that is by accepting the sacrifice He made of His Son, Jesus and asking for His forgiveness of the bad choices, evil actions, and crimes, all of which are called sin. Turning away from them permanently and turning to God is how we allow God to truly be our Father.

 “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 2:16)

We hear and read John 3:16 so often but we focus on the last part. Yes, believing is what brings us life eternal with God, but what about the first part? Our Father loved the WORLD so much. He continues to love His creation, the world. The verse doesn’t say that He loved US so much. It says He loved the WORLD. He is the Father of the whole world, which He created (imparted life to) and is committed to. He wants the whole world to become like Him as we were created in His image.

While we are here on this earth we will never understand fully that our Heavenly Father is powerful and mighty, and yet so loving and kind that He would come to earth as a baby and allow Himself to be tortured and die a horrible death for what we had done.

He rose again so we would understand that our salvation includes, not only having a Father guiding and helping us here on earth but one whom we will live with in Heaven for eternity. Even death does not stop our Father.

One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:6)

Prayer: Father God, we thank You that no matter what kind of father we had here on this earth, we can be assured that You have always been and will always be our loving Father for eternity. Help us put away our false beliefs that You are a stern and mean father. We know that you love the whole world, your creation, and that you are lovingly bringing everyone into your arms. Help us to be a witness to the world of your love. Amen.

My book Fresh Fruit Meditations on the Fruit of the Holy Spirit can be ordered from Amazon or Goodreads.com.  Also available at Chritian Bookstores or on Kindle.  Thank you. Jennifer Chamberlain