God as our Perfect Father

The relationship between a father and a child is a unique one. For some it is a revered connection, while for others it is a dynamic with many complexities, or at times, something completely non-existent. As Father’s Day approaches the mind can wander and ponder the relationship held with an earthly father, but what if we also considered the relationship with our Heavenly Father this Father’s Day? Recalling that God is not only as our Creator, but also our Perfect Father can help shift the perspectives we hold towards the role and usher forth deeper connection with God through holy relationship.  

Provider and Protector 

As a child of God, someone who has received Jesus as Lord and Savior for Salvation, you have access to the Father Himself. This access allows us to seek His help for provision, protection, and so much more. Matthew 7:9-11 reminds us that for many the concept of being taken care of or provided for from an earthly father can feel very foreign, but God differs from earthly fathers. The verse offers,  

“Or what person is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? So if you, despite 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  

Matthew 6:26 offers a similar concept of His provision through,   

“Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they?” Matthew 6:26 

Part of relationship with God as Father is turning away from self-reliance and instead seeking His face for all that we need. This provision may come in the way of Him opening a door for a work opportunity, a call to get creative in problem solving with Him, or unexpected charity offered unto you. However, He ushers forth a solution it is in seeking the Lord as Father for His response that we do not look to ourselves as a savior. We must also recognize that He is unchanging, James 1:17 phrases it as,  

“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or [a]shifting shadow.” James 1:17 

Part of being the recipient is extending our gratitude to Him for His provision, for His gracious gifts unto us, and for His consistency. God is worthy of our praise, even when we are still awaiting His answer. We can also rest that He is not capricious, rather, a reliable Source that does not waver or wane like that of human beings.  

In the same way protection can come from the Lord through closed doors or shifted plans, or it can come from first-hand accounts of Him covering you. We may not know until Heaven the ways He has protected us, but we can call upon Him for protection and rest easy in where He leads us that He knows best. In all cases we can look towards God as a Perfect Father, Someone Who is strong, safe, and reliable in all situations.  

Discipline  

Godly discipline is a practice of good parenting. No one enjoys being disciplined or receiving rebuke, but God-given training is for the ultimate good of the child. Hebrews 12:6 reminds us,  

“For whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He punishes every son whom He accepts.” Hebrews 12:6  

God loves us too much to allow us to continue in ways that inevitably harm us. His teaching can come in various forms, but it will be in such a way that the child can comprehend what He is offering to stray away from or how to behave instead. It is not always necessary to need to know why He is training His child in such a way, rather it is imperative that the child obey so that they may experience the fruit of heeding His instruction.  

My (Cally) godson, age two and a half at the time, shared once that, “Jesus gets happy when I pick up my toys” This was such a pure story shared from the mouth of an innocent child, but it also revealed how the joy of the Lord is present when we walk in His ways, and how these ways ultimately serve for not just our own good, but for those around us. Training and discipline go hand-in-hand to raise a child in the way that they should go. Ultimately, training and discipline are gifts our Good Father gives to us.  

Unconditional Love  

God gives us unconditional love as our Perfect Heavenly Father. Whether someone had an earthly father who loved them deeply or not, the love of our Heavenly Father is profoundly different in that it is beyond what we can even comprehend, it is unwavering, unchanging, and unending. 1 John 4:18 showcases this agape form of love, meaning unconditional, sacrificial, or selfless,  

“We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.” 1 John 4:18  

God is love and we experience His love as our Father, His agape love, through abiding in Him, and in knowing Him more deeply. We can also cling fully to know that we are not rejected or forgotten by Him. Hebrews 13:5b reminds us that,  

“for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you,” so that we confidently say, “the Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.
What will man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5b  

We can walk forward in the confidence of belonging to our Perfect Father in Heaven, so much so that we do not need to fear any threat of any man here on earth. As we approach Father’s Day, let us not only celebrate human fathers, but make the choice to worship, rejoice, abide in, and celebrate our Perfect Father in Heaven.