Day #59 - Father

The Presence - A Devotional for Living in Thanksgiving, Worship and Wonder

“This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Photo by Alfonso Scarpa on Unsplash

What is your favorite title or identity in life?

And by that question, I mean what position or relationship in life do you value the most? Is it boss or employee? Or is it father or mother, brother or sister, husband or wife, friend or mentor or son or daughter? It’s hard for me to pick if I like being husband or a father more. I definitely think if I had a favorite title it would be dad or when my wife calls me her husband. I don’t mind being called pastor but in some ways its more important for me to be known as a friend.

How does God want be identified? For the past several weeks we have been looking at the names and nature of God as revealed in the Old Testament primarily.  When Jesus came on the scene in his ministry, he tells us that there is a primary way for us to view God, the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New, since he has not changed between covenants. And the primary way for us to identify who God is in one word is “Father.”

In the Old Testament there are a handful of references to God as a Father, but its not until Jesus comes on the scene that we see this is the primary way that we are supposed to approach God in our relationship with him, especially when we pray.

I don’t believe that the Old Testament Scriptures had a wrong view of God because God’s word is perfect, but part of the reason that Jesus came to the earth was to show us more fully who God is as Father. God is Creator. He is the Lord. He is Yahweh. He is the God who sees us, hears us and loves us. He is holy. He is all-knowing, all-present and all-powerful. But above all these names and descriptions, there is a primary way for us to know him and its the way that Jesus knew him as Father.

Depending on your relationship with your Dad, this is very encouraging, very challenging or very difficult. But what we learn about God as Father is that he desires a relationship with us and if he is our Dad, he sees us as his children. He is such an amazing father. Think about the fact that Jesus told his disciples they could know God and relate to him as he himself did. Fearing God, reverencing his holiness, knowing his love and knowing his nature in every other way should be governed by the truth that he is our Father.

We can come in the presence of the Father who loves us and knows us. There is no greater place to be than in the presence of the Father.

Heavenly Father, thank you for who you are in my life. I pray that you would heal the broken places in my life where I have been hurt or disappointed by my own father. Thank you for this amazing relationship that you invite me into as your child. Thank you that I can know you and have a relationship with you. I love you! In Jesus name, amen.