His Favorite Name is Father

Today’s scripture:

“I have always wanted to treat you as my children and give you the best land, the most beautiful on earth. I wanted you to call me “Father” and not turn from me.” (Jeremiah 3:19)

“Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.” (Matthew 23:9)

What kind of thoughts or emotions go through you when the word “Father” is mentioned? If you’re like me, you might have a hard time relating the name Father to the gifts of the Spirit… love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. I didn’t have the best experiences with my earthly father, so when I hear the word father mentioned, thoughts of anger, disappointment and bitterness kind of rises up in me.

Of course, as you can imagine, having these kind of ungodly thoughts is not what God wants for you. God the Father has much more for you than that. He has a great and awesome plan for your life. A plan that includes Him being your father and you being His son or daughter! He loves you so much and He is patient to have that unfold in your life.

It was a few years ago when I was living alone about a year or two after becoming born again that He revealed something very precious to me. He knew I was having a hard time relating to Him as my Father. So, one 4^th of July when most people were with their families and friends, I was feeling exceptionally lonely and God was calling me out to walk with Him so He could speak tenderly to me being that I was feeling vulnerable.

He said to me, “Doug, My son, don’t feel discouraged or even shameful that you have a distorted view of what a father really means to you. I will fix that in you. I understand that you need to relearn Fatherhood in the way that was meant for you. In the mean-time look to the one that you can relate to as a friend… My son Jesus.  I sent Jesus to you as a human being. He has experienced pain and suffering and loneliness more than you have, so you can be sure the two of you can be the best of friends if you let Him. He will always be faithful to you because He is one with Me and I am perfect in love. And Doug, its ok when you hear me being referred to as Father to also picture me being nurturing and gentle like a mother because that is what I am to you. Do not worry my child, I will purify this idea of fatherhood in you so that we can be closer than ever before. I love you.”

God is so good, isn’t He? He knows just what we need and when we need it and just how to apply it to our lives. He showed me that He can be everything that a father should be but He is not gender specific. You see, when we hear the term “Father” we tend to think masculine as a man and maybe even a little rough, that’s my view anyway. However, God the Father is not a man or a woman. To be a man you would miss out on what comes natural for women and to be a woman, you would not have what comes natural as a man. But, God you see, is complete not lacking anything. He is not gender specific. He has a nurturing and gentle disposition just as a mother would have with the same amount of leadership and protection and provision as a father would have. He is complete and all that you need.

God is addressed as “Father” 260 times in the bible. Some theologians say that “Father” is Jesus’ favorite name when referring to God and I believe that it’s true. Think about it… could it be because Father and son is all about a relationship and an intimate relationship at that! Remember that Christianity is not about following rules that your father has giving you. It’s about having that close love for your father that you want to follow His rules. He even says in Matthew 18:3 that to be the greatest in His kingdom, we need to become as little children. Little children have this way of calling for their father… “Papa” or “Daddy”. These two words refer to father with such intimacy that says I trust you.

Please click on this link for a special blessing...  Your favorite name is Father by Newsong

Reflection:

I sometimes cringe a little when I hear that people have this incredible closeness with their earthly father only because I never really had that, but praise the Lord that they are blessed with that awesome gift. Statistics say that 1 out of every 3 children are living without their biological father in the home! So, I know that this will be speaking to a lot of people who don’t really understand having an intimate relationship with their earthly father. However, it should create a hunger in us to have that closeness with God as our Father. Believe it or not, that in itself is a gift.

Challenge:

With these statistics as high as they are, I’m sure you know someone that has this challenge of knowing a compassionate loving father. Will you please intercede for them in prayer? Ask the Lord to touch their heart and to use that challenge to create a hunger in their heart for Jesus to be their friend and savior so that they can have an intimate relationship with the one and only Father. Maybe even come alongside them with the compassion of knowing where they are at and be mercy to them.

-Doug McGowan