Fathers

"As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust." Psalm 103:13-14 (NIV)

As we approach Father's Day, I pondered just what being a father is really all about. I once heard a preacher say that we often interpret God in the image of the father we grew up with. If our earthly father is absent, we often find God to be absent. If our earthly father is unavailable, we struggle with God's constant love and availability. If our earthly father is a loving and kind leader of our family, we will find God to be loving, kind and approachable. And so it goes, that God is everything our earthly fathers should be, and our earthly fathers are what we perceive God to be unless we understand the unattainable magnitude of God our Father.

Fathers are protective. They keep us from harm and make sure that we are taken care of in our everyday needs. In Genesis 35, Jacob set out on a journey and the terror of God fell upon the towns all around them so that no one pursued them or harmed them. There are more occurrences of God's protection in the Bible than can be written about here. His constant provisions of food, shelter, clothing, good harvests, prosperity in times of famine and want, and on an on...a good father is protective of his children.

Fathers are generous providers. A father would give all he has to his children to make sure they are never in want for anything. In Genesis 31, Jacob's flocks are increased in spite of Laban's plot to cheat him out his labors. No matter how obscure the offspring of the flocks Laban promised to give to Jacob, somehow the Lord always made sure of Jacob's prosperity. And so it goes from beginning to end, God was always providing for His children who love Him.

Fathers are counselors. A father will counsel his children in the way they should go. David counseled Solomon on his deathbed to be a good man and ruler and to love God. "As David's time to die drew near, he charged Solomon his son, saying 'I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man. Keep the charges of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies...'" (1 Kings 2:1-3)

Fathers love God. The ultimate test of the father in the Bible probably comes when God asks Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, after he waited so long to have a child. Abraham obeyed God and took Isaac out to slay him as a burnt offering to God, but the Lord stopped him and sent a ram in Isaac's place. How deep a father's love runs for his child, but his love for His Holy God must run deeper. God understood how painful that sacrifice must have been for Abraham, for He later sent His only son to die for the transgressions of humanity. How undeserving we are of this Father's love.

Fathers are teachers and disciplinarians. Ephesians 6 says "father, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." (4) The ultimate gift an earthly father can give is the understanding of God and His amazing sacrifice and love for the human race. The writer of Hebrews says it like this, "Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirit and live!" (12:9) Rules and guidelines are given to us as children of God and children of men. We should take this information and live by it so that we may prosper on earth and understand that our actions will lead to either destruction or life everlasting.

Fathers are very important. They are protectors, providers, counselors, teachers, disciplinarians, and they love us beyond measure. We owe our earthly fathers our respect and love, and we owe our Heavenly Father our eternal fear and praise. Isaiah writes of the coming Messiah "he will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (9:6). We have an Everlasting Father sitting upon His throne in Heaven who is preparing a place for us. He wants to protect and provide for our every need. He counsels and teaches us through His Word. He disciplines us with the Holy Spirit when we are out of His will and He loved us enough to send His only Son, our brother Christ, to die for us that we may live and reign with Him forever. Tell your earthly father Happy Father's Day and how thankful you are for everything he has done for you and don't forget to tell your Heavenly Father, too.