Resting in The Father’s Love

There are all kinds of fathers out there. In fact, the possibilities are so broad that this Fathers Day I want to talk with you about the ultimate Father. He is the one we Christians should all be able to relate to. He is the example Christian fathers should seek to emulate. By the way, it’s not possible for an earthly father to be as perfect a father as He is. So, relax and consider yourself a son today if you are a father.

Let’s talk about how the Bible describes the attributes of God as our Father. First, God is described as love. He is pure love. All of His plans for us are formed and carried out with love as the basis. This is a love we cannot comprehend. Humanity can’t love like God loves. We can try and we might come close at times, but perfect love belongs to Him alone. 1 Corinthians 13 tells us this pure love is patient, is kind and is not jealous. This  love does not brag and it is not arrogant. It does not act unbecomingly. It does not seek its own, is not provoked, and does not take into account a wrong suffered. This love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. We think of this love as something to strive for. It can be that. But, more than that, it is a description of God’s nature. God is love.

Go back and read 1 Corinthians 13:4 through 8 by first saying, “God, our Father, is…” Impactful isn’t it. Regardless of whether any earthly father could ever live up to this standard, our heavenly Father is this love. We can count on it. We can count on Him. He does love us, care for us, and forgive us when we sin. He saved us completely, and sent His own son, Jesus, to take our place and die on a cross, so we can live forever with Him. He planned it all and paid it all, because He loves you! He perfectly loves you. 

There are so many attributes of God we can talk about today, but the other one I want us to focus on is that God is an approachable Father. He is fully available at all times because of Jesus. Hebrews 4:14-16 (NIV) tells us, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

That passage comes at the end of a whole chapter discussing our need to live in the rest of God. We can, therefore, approach our loving Father and rest in His love at all times, especially when we don’t know what to do. When life is hard, when things don’t make sense, when we feel guilty or are hurting, afraid, or just weary from well doing, our loving Father is waiting to enjoy our company. Come to Him all you weary and He will give you rest. Come to Him today.

”Consider this: The Father has given us his love. He loves us so much that we are actually called God’s dear children. And that’s what we are.” (1 John 3:1; GWT)

Give Him 15 minutes in prayer:

• Read 1 Corinthians 13 and 1 John 3 and let the revelation of the Father’s love sink deep into Your spirit.
• Sit for a bit and let His Spirit draw You to Himself as Father.
• Talk to Him about anything on your heart. Tell Him about any needs You have, any anxiety you feel, any sin you’re struggling with. Expect His love to wash over You, giving You peace and rest for your weary soul.

A prayer you can pray:

Father, You are love. Perfect and incomprehensible love. You are love that is patient, kind and is not jealous. You are love that does not seek its own, is not provoked, and has no evil intent. You are love that does not take into account a wrong suffered. You do not rejoice in unrighteousness, but You rejoice with the truth. Your love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. You never fail us. Your magnificent Word has many descriptions of You, but the greatest of these is Love. Help us to know You as that One that deeply and perfectly loves us. Help us to know You as our loving and faithful Father. Regardless of the earthly fathers we have had, or not known, let us know You this way. Regardless of our own failures as fathers, let us know Your love and forgiveness. Put Your wonderful nature in us, Your children. Forgive us, Lord, and let us be like You as much as possible. 

We will run to You today, even as a little child would. We will imagine ourselves climbing up in Your lap, right there on Your throne with You. We will come with boldness and confidence, understanding that Jesus made the way for us, and we will find grace to help us in time of need. We will bring our fears to You, our sin to You, our confusion, frustration, and weariness to You. We will come to You to find rest for all of our earthly needs. Lover of our soul, Father God, heal our hearts and minds as we rest in Your love today. Renew us in Your love. Amen. 

Today’s decree:

The Church can rest in the love our Heavenly Father has for us.