God Our Father

“I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” – 2 Corinthians 6:18

Hi friends! Thank you so much for your continued show of love and support in reading. As always, I appreciate you!
Fathers play an important role in the lives of their children. Many fathers provide for their children, they care for them, and they teach them. Research shows that when fathers are active participants in their children’s lives, the children are 2 times more likely to go to college than their counterparts, 80% less likely to spend time in jail, and 75% less likely to experience teen pregnancy.1 Children in homes where the father is absent accounts for 71% of all high school dropouts, 90% of homeless and runaway children, and 63% of youth suicides.1 There’s no question about it: Fathers can be instrumental in determining the future outlook of their children.
The Bible shows us many different pictures of God. We see God as Judge, as Sovereign, and as Teacher. But one of the most beautiful pictures of God that we can see is the one of Him as Father. “As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him” (Psalm 103:13).
That word pities in the original language does not exactly mean what we are used to it meaning – to be sympathetic. It means to love, love deeply, have mercy, and to be compassionate. So, in essence, as a father deeply loves his children, so the Lord deeply loves those who fear Him.
As Father, he stands as a place of safety. “In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge” (Proverbs 14:26). He’s a father to the fatherless (Psalm 68:5). He corrects those He loves (Proverbs 3:12). And he disciplines us as a father disciplines his children (Hebrews 12:7).
God is our Father.
Those of us who choose to obey Him, He has given the right to adoption into His holy family (Galatians 4:5).
Just like a child needs her earthly father, we need our heavenly Father. We need Him even more. Without Him, we are bound to fail, or to be worse off than those who are His children. We need His protection. We need His correction. And we need the discipline of the Lord.
Is God your Father?
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1 Fathers – South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families (scfathersandfamilies.com)
Amen!
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Amen, indeed! Thanks for stopping by Petrina! 😊
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Just like our human parental relationships, there are different types: very formal, distant, playful, etc. While God is my father, I would like to have a less formal, more personal relationship. Like any relationship, I am gonna to get out of it WHAT I put into it, and HOW I put into it. When I think about my prayer life, it is very formal (I suppose like my relationship with God my Father) and I would like my prayer life to emulate a relationship of closeness and comfort. There is definitely work to do in that area.
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Great point about the different types of parental relationships we can have. We definitely all have areas where we can grow and can put more into our relationship with the Father. Thanks for your thoughtful comment and for adding to the conversation. 😊
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