Read:
Would you approach a stranger at the grocery store and call him “Dad”? (Probably only if you had made a mistake, because he looked so much like your dad!) Some people don’t call their father “Dad” because their relationship has been broken by hurtful actions or neglect. The name “Dad” requires a relationship, and without that relationship, the word would be out of place. For the same reason, the Jewish people that heard Jesus’ teaching about prayer would have thought it out of place to hear him call God “Father”. They saw God as LORD, the promise keeper. As El Roi, the one who sees me. As Jireh, the provider. As Rophe, the healer, and Rohi, the shepherd. As the Holy One, the Mighty One. As the One who is there. But not Father. That was a bridge too far, as they say. No one could have that kind of close relationship with the Holy God.
Jesus changed that. In our own sinfulness, we can’t approach God, but because Jesus died for our sake, we can approach God with confidence. Now we have a new relationship with God, one that says we are adopted into his family. We know we are loved, we know we can ask him for what we need, and we know that he will never leave us.
But if you have never had a relationship with your dad, or if a once good relationship has turned sour, the idea of God as Father might make you cringe. But know that no relationship is beyond God’s redemption. There are ways we can make things right in our relationships and pursue forgiveness. Ask God to help you understand this beautiful side of who he is, and who he wants to be in your life. (We’d love to pray with you too!)
Prayer: Dear God, Father in heaven, help me to understand what it means that you are my father. Help me to accept it as true, even when I don’t feel it. Help me to believe that you love me. Amen.