What does it mean to be Fathered by God? On the second day of camp we learned about God as Father. Despite this great session, this is a question I’ve been asking myself and asking God for the past week now.
So often we let our experiences with our earthly fathers cloud our view and understanding of the Father’s role in our lives. Despite having an incredibly loving earthly Father, I sometimes still tend to have a negative view of the Father because of my sinfulness. In particular, one image of God I have is God as a judge. Someone who is angry, mean, and constantly upset because of all of my shortcomings. While our God is a just God, this isn’t the view He desires us to have of Him. It is certainly not the person He invites us into relationship with. Rather, God is about love and life.
How do you view the Father?
More importantly, how does the Bible portray the Father?
The Bible is filled with so many marvelous examples of the Father’s character.
Get this. The Father longs to find you! While God does not like or approve of sin, He does not hate the sinner. We are ALL His creation and He loves ALL of humanity. We can see in Luke 15: 1-7 in the Parable of the Lost Sheep that God will drop everything to find His sheep. The Father’s heart longs to find His lost children and you best believe He rejoices when one is found!
Want to know something even better? The Father’s heart prays, waits, and looks for YOU! Take the Parable of the Prodigal Son, for example. Luke 15:20 tells us, “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” There was no way for the father in this story to know when his son would return home. But the Father continued to pray, wait, and look for his son daily. He chose to live in expectation of his son’s return. And our Father in heaven does the same for you! No matter where you’ve been, no matter where you are now, no matter what you’ve done, rest in this truth – Your Father is waiting for you to come home!
Here’s where things get a little crazy… so stick with me. Are you aware that God knows every detail of your life? He knows you inside and out. He knows your doubts, unbelief, fear, anxiety, and worry but He still loves you purely. In fact, He encourages you to bring those doubts, unbelief, etc. to Him and promises to love and guide us through them. How cool is that?!
Now as wonderful as all that sounds, maybe you’re like me and you still just don’t have this whole ‘being Fathered by God’ thing figured out… well guess what? That’s okay. I invite you to join me in praying this prayer, “God, show me what it means to be Fathered by you. Show me what it means to be loved by you, that I may then be a beacon of your love to all those around me that they too may know you.”
I would love to hear from you. In your walk with the Lord, how have you viewed the Father? To you, what does it mean to be Fathered by God?
Thanks, Micah, for your writings. It’s so good to hear about you and your mission work.
Several Bible verses come to my mind about our all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present God. These verses have helped me so often, especially in times of sickness, death of a loved one, and during all the crazies of life, including the pandemic. Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God.” 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” And the Gospel in a nutshell: “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” There is no force more powerful than the love our heavenly Father has for us. Amazing!
To be Fathered by God means that I am unconditionally loved and always have Him to provide for my needs both physical and spiritual. He sacrificed His Son to save me, His child.
Thanks for sharing these verses, Aunt Faye! Such a great encouragement!