God As Our Father

Jesus referred to God as “Father” one hundred and eighty two times in the gospels, by far the most commonly used title of relationship by which God is identified in the New Testament. The word resonates with implications of loving protection and provision. Since the dawn of mankind, fatherhood has been associated as a position of loving strength and supply. One Bible dictionary defines a father as “the author or beginner of anything” and suggests that the word is “a title of respect for a chief, ruler, or elder.”

The word “father” is synonymous with the concept of loving strength. In the presence of their loving father, children feels safe. When a small child is threatened or feels afraid, the natural instinct of his heart is to cry out “Daddy!”

The thought of God being our heavenly Father is a source of comfort to many people. If you grew up in a home where your father loved you unconditionally, expressed affection and affirmation, and gave gentle guidance and encouragement for you to be your best in every situation, then you already have a healthy mental matrix upon which your concept of God as Father can be built. A child’s first impression of God generally develops around how he perceives his own earthly father. He will often carry that underlying concept of God with him throughout life.

However, not everybody grew up in a home where there was a loving father. One man said to me, “In your teaching today, you talked about understanding our heavenly Father’s love and acceptance for us, but that’s hard for me. My father was never anything other than harsh and judgmental toward me.” His point is well taken. Some people grew up with a father who with an overbearing, authoritarian attitude, one who demanded nothing less than perfection of his children. Rewards were few, but punishment for failing to meet his standards came quickly. Others grew up in a house with an absentee dad, whose lack of involvement communicated a lack of concern.

God may be like your father, but it is important to understand that God may be nothing like your earthly father. If you grew up in an environment which now causes the word “father” to provoke a negative response in your mind or emotions, it will be important to educate yourself on the Fatherhood of God. What kind of Father is God?

Phillip once said to Jesus, “Show us the Father and it will be enough for us.” His request implied that he wanted to know what kind of Person God is. “Let us see Him, “ he said. “Then we will know and be satisfied.” Jesus responded by saying to Phillip, “he who has seen me, has seen the Father” (John 14:9) If you want to know what kind of Father God is, look at Jesus. Consider how he related to those He loved.

✦ He loved them unconditionally. (See John 13:1)
✦ He was patient with their weaknesses. (See Matthew 8:25-26)
✦ He hurt when they hurt. (John 11:33-35)
✦ He equipped them to do anything He asked them to do. (Matthew 28:17-20)
✦ He promised to never leave or forsake them. (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5)

Do you get the picture of the kind of heavenly Father you have? Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). Some people imagine God to be the harsh, judgmental Person in the Trinity and that Jesus is the “go-between” who calms God down on our behalf. However, the attitude of God is exactly the same as that of Jesus. He adores you and has committed Himself to you for all eternity.

If you struggle with seeing God as a loving Father, it may be helpful for you to read the gospels slowly, pausing and writing down every positive quality you see there about the kind of Father He really is. Nothing robs believers of joy like a faulty concept of God.

In chapter eight of my book, Grace Rules, I have written a chapter called “A Smiling God” which may help you develop a proper concept of God as it relates to how much He loves us. As long as one believes that God is critiquing his every move, he will never feel free to relax and enjoy life. When we come to understand, however, that God laughs with delight every time He looks at us, (See Zephaniah 3:17) we become like the little child, who cries out, “Daddy, watch this! Watch this!” Your Daddy (Abba) is watching you and He is thrilled with what He sees!