My father passed away some 17 years ago and there are times I miss him greatly. Because my siblings were much older than I - I was basically an only child growing up and so my father and I spent much time together, fishing, hunting, and doing various things together just the two of us. And though I cannot say I was raised without a father, there have been times over the past years that not being able to call upon him for advice or help was surely missed.
But NO ONE is without a father according to the Word of God. In Psalm 68:5 God is directly called the Father to the fatherless. In Psalm 146:9 the Lord relieves the fatherless. And because of God’s heart for the fatherless, all throughout the law He commanded Israel to watch out for and care for the fatherless (Exodus 22:22; Deuteronomy 14:29, 24:17-21). There is no doubt that God the Heavenly Father has a tender place for those whose fathers are not a part of their lives.
But this wonderful truth truly hit home when I was studying about the usage of the phrase “our father.” You see the Old Testament did not really see anyone calling God “their” Father as I am sure that would have seemed presumptuous on their part. But Jesus broke that barrier down when he called God “Our Father” in Matthew 6:9 as part of the Lord’s Prayer. The people of the day saw Abraham as their father (Luke 3:8), Jacob as their father (John 4:12), and even David as their father (Mark 11:10). But when Jesus made it clear that God is truly “our Father” - that was earth shattering, so to speak, especially to the Apostle Paul.
We know literally nothing of Paul’s parents or family except that his father was a Pharisee (Acts 23:6) and that he had a sister (Acts 23:16). But to Paul the fact that God was his Father became a major truth as he references this fact in virtually every epistle he wrote, especially when speaking of God His Father's grace (1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:4; Ephesians 1:2; Philippians 1:2; Colossians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 2 Thessalonians 1:2; 1Timothy 1:2; Philemon 1:3).
How important is the fact that God is the Heavenly Father to every born again believer? It means that we are never without a father and we always have the resources of a father to turn to in every situation. It means that we can have advise that is beyond our meager knowledge, because we can turn to our Heavenly Father in any and every situation. It means that the resources of a Heavenly Father are available to His children whenever they turn to Him and ask. It means that we are always under His watchful eye and hand of loving discipline. It means that I am part of His family, which encompasses all who truly know Him as their Father.
What a blessed thought that I have a Heavenly Father!
No comments:
Post a Comment