Today’s Truth “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters.” (2 Corinthians 6:18 NIV)
Friend to Friend One of my favorite retreat topics is from my book, Dreams of a Woman – God’s Plans for Fulfilling Your Dreams. In this book I talk about five dreams every little girl has: to have a daddy who loves me, to be a bride, to be a mommy, to be beautiful, and to have a best friend.
In talking to women all across the country, I have seen eyes fill with tears when I talk about the dream of having a daddy who loves me. But the tears are not for me, they reveal the longing in their own hearts. Butterfly Kisses, a song by Bob Carlisle that climbed the charts in 2000, received international recognition in both the Christian and secular music industries. The song was about the tender love between a father and his daughter, starting from her birth to her wedding day. Mr. Carlisle said, “I get a lot of mail from young girls who try to get me to marry their moms. That used to be a real chuckle because it’s so cute, but then I realized they didn’t want romance for mom. They want the father that is in that song, and that just kills me.”
In the Old Testament, God has many names. He is Elohim – the Creator, El Elyon – God Most High, El Roi – the God who sees, El Shaddai – the All-Sufficient One, Adonai – the Lord, Jehovah – the Self-Existent One, Jehovah-Jireh –the Lord Will Provide, Jehovah – Rapha – the Lord that heals, Jehovah—Shalom – the Lord is peace, Jehovah-Raah – the Lord my Shepherd, and many more. His covenant name with the people of Israel was I AM. J.I. Packer, in his book, Knowing God, said, “He is: and it is because He is what He is that everything else is as it is.”
In the New Testament, Jesus introduced a new name for God – Father. It is the name that Jesus referred to more than any other and the name that He invites us to use to address the Creator of the Universe. Just stop and think about that for a moment. The God of the universe who created the heavens and the earth, who always has been and always will be, who is all-knowing, all powerful, and present everywhere at once – that same God invites you to call Him – Daddy!
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, He said:
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This, then, is how you should pray:
‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name….’ (Matthews 6:6-9 NIV).
Packer went on to say: “For everything that Christ taught, everything that makes the New Testament new and better than the Old, everything that is distinctly Christian as opposed to merely Jewish, is summed up in the knowledge of the fatherhood of God.” All other religions demand followers to worship created beings (Mohammad, Buddha), but Jehovah the Creator, the great I AM, invites us to crawl up in His lap, become His child, and call Him Abba, Daddy. He said, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters” (2 Corinthians 6:18NIV).
This Father’s Day, no matter what your situation may be with your earthly dad, always remember that you have a heavenly Father who loves you dearly and has your name written on the palm of His hand.
Let’s Pray Dear Lord, Thank You for being a father who loves me as His precious child. How amazing to think that the God who created the universe and all it contains invites me to be His child and call Him Abba, Father. I do not take this invitation lightly, but cherish it with all my heart. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Make a list of your idea of a perfect Father? Now put a check mark by the ones you have experienced in God as His child.
What does God promise in 2 Corinthians 6:18?
Describe how God, our Father is depicted in Hosea 11:3-4.
What do you learn about the love of God in Ephesians 3:18-19?
What do you learn about the Fatherhood of God in 1 Corinthians 8:6?
Comments 10
Sharon,
As I work towards healing in my life, I needed to hear this again. Thank you!
Sharon – I love this book. I highly recommend it for anyone to read. Even if you life has been a breeze and all your dreams have come true – this book sheds light on what women young and old alike seek to fulfill their hearts. Am praying for your trip to LR.
I really needed this also. Long story short, my bio father wasn’t around and I was abused by my step-father. God, thank You for being the Great I AM! In Jesus’ name, amen.
Sharon, thank you so much for this wonderful devotional. It blessed me personally but I know will also be a blessing to the troubled young girls I mentor. How indeed, we all need a daddy who loves us unconditionally! Thank God that we call cry out “Abba, Father!” and know that we will be comforted and heard.
I wish God was called Mother because that was the dream in my childhood – to have a mother who really loved me and not severely emotionally and physically abused me. I have so desired a loving mother and I am a grown woman.
The good news is that God is given many attributes of a loving mother as well. The Bible tells us that He gathers us under His wing like a mother hen. I just love that picture!
Soooooo many people have issues because of the lack of a father’s unconditional love. I grew up not knowing my dad who left my mom on Mother’s Day when I was 9. The worst thing was, he moved close by in our small town, but never came around to see me! He began a new life with a woman who pursued him for years – my mom’s “best” friend. The bitterness in my mother toward them both fueled the hurt and disappointment I felt toward him year after year. Forgiveness is the only way to STOP that bitter root from growing!
I still don’t have a relationship with him, but I don’t feel angry anymore either. I honestly don’t feel much of anything toward him and still never see him even though he lives 4 miles away. When he remarried, everything became “all about her” and her family. This happens a lot! Then people wonder why they cannot have “happy blended” families. I honesly don’t know how men can so easily shut the door of their hearts to their kids to embrace a new family then expect love and respect from their children. My dad and stepmother have never admitted they did wrong, so they need prayer. Only God can break that spirit of pride that keeps them thinking it was perfectly OK to start over with so many people left in the wake of their selfish behavior.
May the Lord bless all of you who struggle with low self-esteem (like I do) due to the negligence of your earthly fathers. God is a father to the fatherless and may He comfort your hearts with His love as only He can. AMEN!
I am still struggling with growing up w/o a father or father figure in my life . . finding out when grown, by accident, that my mother’s exhusband was not my bio father . . .and being raised to be self sufficient, that you had to take care of yourself because you couldn’t depend on a man to do it . . . I wish i had a daddy who loved me . . it is probably because of this that I have problems thinking of God as a father figure
Thank you so much for this Sharon. You pointed out that other religions worship created beings. It may not be correct to include Islam though because Allah is worshipped, Muhammad being his messenger.However, as I tell my muslim friends, the significant and wonderful difference is that Jesus died to save us. No religion but Christianity acknowledges this truth.
I look forward every work day to reading from the GIG.
Stay rejoicing!
Dear Sharon,
A daddy who loves me devotional connected with the current and just recently completed studies that I have led. How God has his palm print upon every aspect of our lives…Fingerprints of God by Jennifer Rothschild…the names of our Abba Father…Lord, Teach Me to Pray by Kay Arthur…it’s always so amazing to hear God’s threads of truth in His word to be spun throughout fellow believers’ ministries such as yours! Thank you for listening for our Father’s voice and sharing with women across the world.