A Good, Good Father

As we continue growing in the revelation of God’s love for us, we turn our attention to one of the greatest truths in Scripture: God is our Father. He is not distant or indifferent, but a loving Father who has adopted us into His family, delights in us as His children, and desires only good things for us. The more this truth is established in our hearts, the more confidently we can trust that when we pray, He hears and answers us. Romans 8 reminds us, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father” ” (vs.14-15). Through Christ, God has adopted us into His family. We are no longer strangers, but His beloved children. And as His children, we belong to a different Kingdom and live from an identity different from those in the world. “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (Romans 8:16-17). What a privilege to know that God not only rescued us from sin, but has welcomed us into His family and given us an eternal inheritance in Christ. Hallelujah!

Knowing that God is our Father changes the way we approach Him. Our Lord Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8). These words reveal the heart of a Father who delights in giving good gifts to His children, as echoed in James 1:17 – “Every good and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights … ” But when answers seem delayed, we may be tempted to assume God has not heard us. Yet, Daniel’s experience reminds us otherwise. The angel told him, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words” (Daniel 10:12). Though the answer was delayed, God had already responded. Likewise, we can trust that our Heavenly Father hears every prayer, even when we do not immediately see the manifestation. Jesus concluded by saying, “what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:9-11). If imperfect earthly fathers desire the best for their children, how much more our Heavenly Father? There is no comparison. God is a good good Father who is infinitely better at giving good gifts than any other earthly father or human being. He is a good, good father who loves us more than any earthly father ever could. The best father on the earth has nothing on God!

Our confidence in God’s love as our Father is not limited to bringing Him our requests, but it is also seen in how we return to Him when we have fallen short. In Luke 15, Jesus retells a story commonly known as the parable of the prodigal son. This is the heading that the translators felt could describe the story. However, we believe a more appropriate heading to the story would be  “The story of a good good father.” We use the word good twice because that is how extravagantly good our Heavenly Father is. Firstly, the Scriptures do not introduce this story by calling it a ‘parable’ as commonly done. In fact, the Lord introduced it with “A certain man,” implying that this was indeed a true story. What we see in this story is that after defying all social norms, claiming his inheritance and then wasting it all away, the last son came to himself and returned home expecting rejection because of his actions (vs.17-19). Instead, his father had been watching and waiting for him. When he saw the son from afar, he ran to embrace and restore him, and celebrate his return (vs.20-24). Church, this is the heart of our Heavenly Father. Many believers allow guilt and condemnation to keep them at a distance from God after they have fallen short. Yet Scripture encourages us to “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16), knowing that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:38-39). This is not a license to sin; rather, it is an invitation to return confidently to the Father, knowing that His desire is always to restore. His love is greater than our failures, and His arms always open to receive us if we humble ourselves and return to Him.

Church, we have a good Father. We are His beloved children, heirs together with Christ, and recipients of His eternal and unfailing love. Whether we are seeking His provision, waiting for an answer, or returning to Him after falling short, we can approach Him with confidence, knowing that He loves us and delights in doing us good. Hallelujah!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for adopting us into Your family and loving us as Your own children. Teach us to trust Your timing and help us grow in the confidence that You always desire what is best for us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.