09/04/2024
We are the children of God and He is our Father. Jesus taught us as much, even when He instructed us in prayer... "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name (Matthew 6:9).” So often we find ourselves inclined to dwell on God as the creator, God the Defender, God the Provider, or one of the other various personality characteristics of God, but underpinning all of those qualities resides the one that is most founded in love... God the Father.
“Yet you, Lord, are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.”
Isaiah 64:8 CSB
Fatherhood is a complex role, it requires first and foremost a love for your children, but it also carries with it the responsibility for all of the other roles that God plays in our lives, teacher, protector, provider, healer, spiritual guide, judge, disciplinarian... The list is incredibly long... He leads us and instructs us in all aspects of our lives, and we are to teach our children the same.
“Fathers, don’t stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”
Ephesians 6:4 CSB
For our part as God’s children, we love Him back, just as a child loves its father. When we have needs or desires we go to Him in prayer and present them; then He determines if what we want is indeed His will, and best for us. In the end God the Father provides and answers prayer much as earthly fathers do, but with a more perfect vision of their impact, and a more precise timing regarding their provision.
“If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”
Matthew 7:11 KJV
God doesn't spoil His children. Our Father gives us those things which we need, but He often leads us in acquiring them. God wants us to grow up and become more self-sufficient. Babies are wonderful, but eventually we as parents want to look upon our children as men and women, knowing that we have raised them well, and that they know how to make the life decisions that are good for them and will sustain them in life and faith. God wants mature children as well. In this process we are both giving to our children in many ways, but there is one I want to single out... Blessing them.
I read an interesting article on raising children and it spoke of our children's need for parental blessing. The author wrote these words:
"There are many children today who are desperately pleading like Esau, "Bless me, even me also, O my father" (Genesis 27:34)."
Whether you are a mother or a father, you have blessings that can be bestowed upon your children, and our children long to receive them. The blessings we bestow legitimize our children and provide a direction for them. The author of the article said it this way... "To bless your child is to speak a message that attaches high value and pictures a special future for them with an active commitment as a parent to help them fulfill it."
Our children look to us to guide them; to give them blessings that will help them determine how they should approach life and even which path to take. We do the same with our Heavenly Father... We need his blessings in our life. The most important ingredient in any blessing is love, and without it, a blessing might easily become a curse... So bless your children as God blesses us, in love.
Raising children requires that they submit to our authority. As the children of God we too must submit to His authority. Pastor E.M. Bounds wrote about this submission using these words:
"In principle, obedience to God is the same quality as obedience to earthly parents. It implies the giving up of one's own way to follow that of another. It implies the submission of oneself to the authority and requirements of a parent." – E. M. Bounds
How often I hear the arguments "a loving God would not do this" or "a loving God would not allow this to happen." When submission and discipline aren't forthcoming, then there is no role of parenthood... Children are left to fend for themselves, no blessings are given, and the family breaks down. Discipline is vital to instructing our children, and it is an absolute necessity when God the Father is raising us as well.
“My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.”
Proverbs 3:11-12 KJV
Life is full of black and white decisions... You either love me or you don't, that water is boiling and will certainly scald you... not everything is up for debate, and there are consequences for making the wrong decisions. As a Father, God instructs us, but we must submit ourselves to His instruction... We must hear and learn from His lessons. Have you ever found yourself in a bad situation and wished you had listened to Him? God is our Father and he is the role model by which we should raise our own children.
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Proverbs 22:6 KJV
Today I pray that God blesses you and holds you to Him. I pray that you see Him as your Heavenly Father and feel the love He has for you. And, I pray that you will love Him back in honor and obedience.
“Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and so that you may prosper in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
Deuteronomy 5:16 CSB
Prayer:
Father, thank you for being more than our One True God, but for being our loving Father, Papa, and Abba, as well. Thank you for teaching us to be fathers and mothers through your example, how to love our own offspring as you love us, and how to be good children like Jesus has always been to you. Help us Lord to be dedicated and loving parents just as you have been to us, and as we bring our children into this world, guide us in the ways of righteous parenthood. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who is the father of all creation, and Holy are you who loves and nurtures us in every way. You instruct us, and discipline us, but always in love, and for this we honor you, and pray our blessings upon you. The world can be a hard and bitter place, but your Word prepares us to face it, to stand against all evil, and your Son Jesus, teaches us how to endure it… even unto death. You are merciful and full of grace Lord, and even though we face death, you are with us, and we confront it boldly without fear, because you have promised life everlasting to those who believe. Holy Father, we pray that on the day of our judgement you will see us as worthy and pleasant children in your sight. We pray that you will see the image of Jesus, and not the reflection of the world in our faces. On that day Abba, take us to your breast, where we can love you with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. On that day call us your own, and love us as no other is able.
Amen, Amen, Amen.
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
Psalm 23:4 KJV
“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.”
1 John 3:1 KJV
Rich Forbes