Is He Not, “Father”?
The other day I was encouraging someone fresh into adulthood as they learn to differentiate from their parents. She clearly loves her parents and wants to make them proud but she is struggling with learning how to reconcile this desire with her authentic self. The next morning as I was in prayer, I found myself in tears as I humbled myself to The Father. I was seeking His guidance regarding which path I should take, which decision I should make of a very important matter, and yet there I was in tears and reverence. As I poured out to him my need for his voice and direction, I cried,
“God, I just told someone how as children we desire to make our parents proud…are you not my Father?”
As Father, God protects us (2 Thessalonians 3:3), provides for us (Philippians 4:19), loved us and tends to our wounds (Psalm 147:3). He has been there (and will continue to be there) to mend our heartbreaks (Psalm 34:18), serve as our refuge and encourage us when times get hard. With his eyes always on us, he allows us to make mistakes so that we may run to him for comfort and healing. He meets us with his abounding grace (2 Corinthians 9:8) and strong hand of deliverance that makes all things good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). He goes before us in the dark as a light (Exodus 13:21) and covers us from behind (Isaiah 41:10). No place he will request us to go without his presence near to secure our travel. Things may jump out to scare us, and harm may come our way, but we can rest in the assurance of our ever-present help (Psalm 46:1) and protector who is our Father God, Yahweh.
And why can we call him, Father? Because we have a Savior who made it so. “Passion” is from the Latin word “passio” which means, “to suffer or endure.” God’s love for us was so uncontainable, he sent his Son to experience this passion for our healing, our restoration, our reconciliation, our peace and joy unto Him. Jesus’s passion results in our salvation, granting us access to be adopted into the lineage of Christ by faith, a chosen and royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). Through Jesus are we able to call out to our Father, “Abba! Abba!” as he did ( Mark 14:36; Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6) so that (despite our sinful nature) the Holy God would hear our cry and through his compassion, respond to an unholy people because we sound like his Son. Now with the Holy Spirit that led Jesus, we are being sanctified, being made holy in thought, desires and movement. Now we are working out our salvation, seeking to make our Father proud as Jesus showed us and the Holy Spirit continues to guide us, being met with grace and mercy along the way.
“Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Christ.” – Romans 6:8
As we prepare this week for Easter, reflecting on the passion of our Savior and compassion of our Father, let us be humbled by the gift we received in this great exchange, an undeserving inheritance and the right to be called sons and daughters of The Holy Father.
Are you feeling alone? Is He not, Father? Are you in need of comfort and healing? Is He not, Father? Are you lacking in need of provision? Is He not, Father? Are you without earthly parents? Is He not, Father? Take hold of your royal kinship, be bold in your cry, lament to the Father, “Abba!”, and take heart and refuge in knowing you have a parent who hears you.
“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Mathew 7:11
"He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things” Romans 8:32
