The Father Heart of God
1 John 3:1 says, "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" For a long time, I thought I understood this verse, this concept of God as my Father, and my identity as His son. I would memorize verses like this in school, and I could probably preach about this concept if asked. However, since my wife and I had our first child, the Lord has been showing me just how much I’ve missed the gravity of this truth.
Obviously, I knew that I would love my daughter. Intellectually, I knew that I would do whatever it took to provide for her and that she would be a blessing. But when I first held her in my arms, something shifted in my heart. I experienced a new kind of love that I didn’t understand. She was so helpless, vulnerable, and crying. Yet, she was beautiful, precious, innocent, and she was mine! She had my genetics, and no matter what happened, she would always be my daughter. It’s difficult to explain that kind of feeling with words; it was one of the most impactful experiences of my life. Fast forward almost two years, and the Lord is still blowing my mind about what it means to be a father.
As every parent knows, there are constant highs and lows in raising children. Only two years in, I have experienced immense joy in watching my daughter sleep peacefully, seeing her crawl for the first time, helping her take her first steps, and hearing her first words. I love watching her explore, learn new things, and act silly. But, I’ve also experienced sleepless nights, and have been anxious and concerned when she’s sick. I’ve been frustrated when she won’t heed discipline (she’s young but she knows what "no" means), and I’ve felt the pain she feels when she gets hurt. As Ecclesiastes 3 says, there is a time for everything.
So why am I saying all this? I believe that while most Christians have a solid intellectual understanding of what it means for God to be our Father, we tend to miss the weight of this truth and how it practically impacts our lives. God is not some distant ruler concerned with only the high matters of His kingdom and His officials. Instead, He is a father deeply and intimately invested in the details of His children’s lives. As 1 Peter 1:5 says, “Cast your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” I’ve experienced this with my daughter, but God cares for us far more than that and in a far better way. God cares for you when you’ve had a rough day, and you’re struggling. He’s there when you have doubts or don’t seem to have direction. He’s there to rejoice with you when all is well and you step out in faith. As Psalm 139 says, He’s there when you get up and when you lie down. He cares about your family, your friends, your job, your habits, your hobbies, your community. He’s grieved when you choose your own way instead of His, when you have to suffer the consequences of poor decisions. He’s eager to teach and instruct, to share His wisdom and watch you grow. He’s deeply and emotionally invested in all the details of your life, and you matter to Him.
More than anything, however, God wants a close relationship with you, as any good father wants a close relationship with his kids. In fact, He wants this so desperately that He paid the ultimate price. He put on flesh, walked among us, and experienced the weight of living in a fallen world. He submitted Himself to torture and death to take the punishment for our sins so that we could have a right relationship with Him. Now, as a result, we have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15). We have a good, good Father, let’s walk intimately with Him.