A number of people find it hard to relate to God as “Father” either because an earthly father was absent from the home, or the relationship was difficult, challenging, or perhaps even abusive. But God is a good Father, an ever-present One who never abandons us or abuses us. Rather, He loves us. Deeply. The very healing of the nations (our lives, families, and communities) for which we all desire can only come by one way—when the hearts of the children (us) return to the Father….for His heart has already turned toward us.
Father God loves us, but if we relate to Him from a painful framework of how earthly fathers or authority figures interacted with us, it can place blocks and filters on the way we interact with Him as our Father. That is a problem, for the very heart and nature of God is that of a Father…a good, near, and personal Father. Worldly philosophies, false doctrines, and even Church traditions can also play into a skewed perception of God. Or we may have a wrong perception of who He is as a Father simply due to ignorance.
We may readily see the Father as great, holy, exalted, and mighty, yet distant or indifferent to our personal needs. Our theology may esteem Him as the omnipotent Heavenly Father of all, while our heart never enters the actual and real experience of trusting and knowing Him as our “Dad”. But just as a healthy relationship with an earthly father is one that grows and deepens through the years, so a healthy relationship with God is one that grows and deepens with an ever unfolding revelation of who He is and who we are to Him.
I can mark the seasons in my life by the different revelations of God I’ve received as He has worked in my life. Each fresh revelation brings breakthrough into a new place of intimacy and fellowship with Him. I came to Christ through the revelation of my need for Him as my Savior. True freedom came when I saw Him as my Lord. As I grew spiritually, He revealed Himself as the Heavenly Lover of my soul. I remember the season when the Holy Spirit revealed Himself to me as my Teacher and Helper. Other seasons have brought deeper fellowship with God as my Deliverer, Counselor, Potter, and Creator….and then came the glorious revelation of Abba Father. I now understand my identity; I know who I am as His treasured daughter.
The whole work of the Son on the cross and at resurrection is to bring us back to intimate fellowship with God as our Father. And the nature of fathering is one of loving, personal relationship.
“For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, ‘Abba Father’” (Rom. 8:15)
My prayer for you today is that you know the height, depth, width, and breadth of the Father’s love for you. May you know the value that you, yes you, hold in His heart.
J Nicole – excerpt from Being Fathered for a Divine Purpose
