Fathers’ day was celebrated last month. Although the day was dedicated to celebrating and applauding the devotion, sacrifices, and dedication of our earthly fathers; it made me reflect on the loving heart of my Heavenly Father. God is indeed a good father!
I reached a milestone in my faith journey when I began to have a deeper revelation of the person of God and my relationship with him moved from Creator-Creation relationship to Father-Daughter relationship.
Before I began to grow and mature in faith, my idea of God was that he was merely this Almighty being who was all the way up in heaven and was constantly frustrated by the inadequacies and the shortcomings of mere mortals like myself.
Fortunately, I have come to know this fatherly side and personality of God that makes me fall even deeper in love with him. As someone who has an imperfect yet wonderful and present earthly father who wasn’t always my first point of contact when I had emotional needs, it feels so good to have a perfect heavenly father who understands me thoroughly. A father who knows me (my fragile, sensitive, and emotional self) intimately more than anyone can ever know me.
A father who is reliable, caring, firm yet gentle,
He defends me from all my enemies and accusers;
He is such a great listener, really patient in my times of foolishness and recalcitrance.
A father who is super approachable
A father who is multi dimensional, all knowing.
A righteous healer, a wise counselor, a friend in lonely times, a great provider.
Our Earthly fathers are great but the truth is: they can never measure up to a heavenly father who never makes mistakes.
A father who loves without limits, he loved the world and sent his only righteous son to suffer for the sins of unrighteous mortals.
A Heavenly Father with earthly children
It seems unfathomable that we who are earthly mortal beings would be children of a divine being who is much greater than any other. Ordinarily, we have nothing in common with this Holy and perfect God but by virtue of the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross, the Holy Spirit has been given unto us and our adoption was made possible.
Throughout the new testament of the bible, the fatherly nature of God is foregrounded. The Lord’s prayer begins with “Our Father who art in heaven…” In Matthew 7:11, Jesus also speaks about the benevolence of our heavenly Father who “gives good things to those who ask Him”
God’s personality as the Father of Jesus in addition to being our heavenly father is also highlighted in scriptures. This is why the bible refers to us as “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ”
The only way to gain access to God the Father…
is through his only begotten son Jesus Christ.
Jesus says in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Also, when we begin to have continuous and consistent fellowship with God that is when we are able to develop intimacy with him which allows us to have a personal encounter of the perfect fatherhood of God.
Despite what anyone says, the truth is: every person, no matter their age needs their father (heavenly and earthly). However, for the ones who have lost their earthly fathers to death or absence, they can be sure that they have a reliable heavenly father who is dependable and never fails.
To those who have been hurt by their earthly fathers, I pray that you let the heavenly father heal you completely so that you can receive and find rest in his love. His word says he would never leave you nor forsake you. Believe that God can be trusted, he can be trusted with your dreams, your fears, your weaknesses and all the deepest parts of you that others do not know and cannot see.
Let the words of Chris Tomlin’s song “Good Good Father” encourage you and remind you that God is good even when your circumstances are not:
You’re a good good father
It’s who you are, it’s who you are, it’s who you are
And I’m loved by you
It’s who I am, it’s who I am, it’s who I am
Because you are perfect in all of your ways
You are perfect in all of your ways to us.