Religious people in Jesus’ day found the concept of God’s fatherhood hard to grasp. Lord, king, judge, they understood – but not Father. The Old Testament scriptures hardly mention God as a Father, whereas the New Testament mentions it hundreds of times. Jesus Himself said, ‘No one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him’ (Matthew 11:27 NIV). The truth is, until Jesus revealed the Father, God remained a mystery to them. And many of us still don’t comprehend His fatherhood and the amazing blessings we have in Him. Father, God’s all-inclusive name, incorporates everything we’ll ever need and shows us exactly how He feels about us. He exemplifies every trait of the best father imaginable. Whatever a loving father would do for his needy child, our heavenly Father will do for us – and will do more than we could imagine. Once we recognise God as our Father, our fears dissolve as we start to realise that all our needs will be met. Jesus said, ‘It gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom’ (Luke 12:32 NLT). It makes God happy to give us the resources of His kingdom because He loves us as much as He loves Jesus. In John 17:23, Jesus prayed that we would know with confidence that our heavenly Father loves us ‘in the same way [he has] loved me’ (MSG). In Ephesians 2, we’re told that we’re ‘no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household’ (v.19 NIV). So let’s see God as our Father, start acting like His children, and start enjoying the benefits of belonging to His family. 

What Now?

Write down the qualities that you think make a good father. Then thank God that He’s a good Father to you.