“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:4-6)
“For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.” (1 Corinthians 8:5-6)
A True Father
God is our Father and God is the father of all. We know that God is good, just, and loving and that Jesus perfectly represented the Father to us. John 14:9 states, “…Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” Jesus is the most loving and caring person any of us will ever know. He knows our needs so intimately that he can heal us in areas we are unaware need His touch. Because He reveals the Father to us, we know the Father shares this love for us too.
“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” (1 John 4:16)
Genesis 1:27 shares, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Throughout the history of mankind, God has allowed men made in His image to also reveal the nature of a father. He designed the world to work in families and wants men to represent the care, love and protection that He himself has for us, within their own families.
The Impact of Fatherlessness
Sadly however, we are all too familiar with the fact that fallen humanity does not properly represent the true nature of a father, the way God intended. Men and women all make mistakes and each can cause terrible damage to the lives of those around them, and especially their children (to see the list of some of my failures, read this). However, today we are focusing on the issue of fathers.
When a father is present, but his presence does not reflect the love and care of God, children can learn to fear and apprehend having a relationship with their fathers. On the other hand, when fathers are not present, children can grow up thinking that fathers are people who don’t care about them at all, or only care about them after a long list of other demands.
Unfortunately, those of us who have had these negative experiences can learn to project our experiences and assume God is a reflection of our earthly fathers. While God’s original design was for them to reflect His nature, God’s ways and character do not change to reflect man’s mistakes and sins. And even the best earthly father could never come close to revealing the powerful, death-defeating love that Father God has for us. In God’s awesome plan, Jesus came to reveal the Father as the visible image of the invisible God!
Healed by Our Father
Thankfully, God is a healer. He is a Father to the fatherless. He will heal hearts where earthly fathers have caused wounds, and bring the church to wholeness, beyond our wildest dreams, because He is all-powerful. He will help us heal from the wounds caused by our fathers and help those of us who are father’s become better reflections of Him so we don’t damage our children or misrepresent Him.
Today, the team at M46 encourages you to go on a journey to heal from your father wounds. Many have gone before you, and have found incredible joy and freedom when they have allowed God to become the Father they always knew they needed. Ask the Holy Spirit today to lead you to resources, verses, wise counsel including inner-healing ministries and counselors that will help you heal (Restoring the Foundations and HeartSync Ministries are great places to start).
I began this incredible journey of inner healing in 2016, which changed my life. We pray the same for you.
God bless you! You are His beloved child! Grace and peace!
Bryan
Books we recommend on the journey:
- The Father Heart of God: Experiencing the Depths of His Love for You by Floyd McClung
- Experiencing the Father’s Embrace by Jack Frost