Perfect Father

When you close your eyes, how do you picture the perfect father? What characteristics, or what words, do you long for from a father? Is it someone who is always present? Is it someone who does not change his mind? Is it someone who always remains faithful, even when you aren’t, someone who is always loving, affirming, approving, accepting, supporting, nurturing, and caring?

Here is the good news. We already have a heavenly Father who longs to be in a perfect relationship with us. He is ready to lavish His love upon us, as His child. What do you think of when you hear the word, God? He is the maker of heaven and earth, the omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent one. But here is something quite humbling. He longs to be our Father.

He is all that a father ought to be to us, satisfying our longings for a perfect father. God tells us, that He will be a Father to us, and we will be His sons and daughters (2 Corinthians 6:18).

We are God’s children, although, sometimes, we may be in situations that may make us feel less than that, and the enemy may bring doubts. Things may be tough, and we may feel, like Jesus on the cross, as if the Father has forsaken us. It’s then that we need His Holy Spirit as never before to testify to us about who we are.

When we feel empty, as if we have nothing, He reminds us the Father lavishes His love upon us, and that we are His children, ‘The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children’ (Romans 8:16). He reminds us that we have been given the right to be God’s children from the time we received and believed in Him (John 1:12).

People are so concerned about what their rights are, so they can protect or defend themselves. Children want to know their rights, wives want to know their rights, and husbands want to know if there are any rights left for them as head of the family. Everyone wants to know what their human rights are, even hiring lawyers to fight for their rights.

But the right we have been given is not like that. It is a heavenly, godly, kingdom right, not something to protest in the streets about. The right we have been given is to be called a child of God. No one can take that right from us as believers. We need to take hold of that right with power and authority as the Holy Spirit testifies in our spirit to the truth of it. The Bible says God is ‘a father to the fatherless’ (Psalms 68:5).

We do not need a special permit from anyone to relate to God as our perfect Father, our Daddy our Papa, our Abba. You and I got the right straight from God Himself. ‘So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father”’ (Romans 8:15).

We can say to God, “You’re My Father. I am Your child, and that’s who I am”.

Prayer: Thank You, my Father. Thank You for choosing me, as I am, to be Your beloved child. Help me to love You as You love me, unconditionally. My Father, make my cup overflow as Your child, satisfying the longings that my earthly father was unable to meet, whether knowingly or unknowingly. As You have forgiven me, immensely and unconditionally, through Your Son Jesus Christ, I choose to forgive my father for any of his shortcomings. So, help me, Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.