God, Our Father
There are many words I could use to describe my dad, but the ones that stick out most in my mind are Present and Loving.
Thinking back to my childhood and teenage years my memory bank is full of time spent together as a family, not just vacations and birthdays, but time just being together. Playing games, Sunday drives, listening to records on our RCA floor model stereo; (that wasn’t yesterday!) my dad was always there, his presence a comfort. I always felt that my dad wanted to be with us, that he loved spending time with us as much as we loved being with him.
How much more our Heavenly Father longs to be with us! He wants us to spend time together away from the distractions of life. He longs for that child-parent relationship where we bring our cares and concerns to him trusting that He is faithful to do exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or think. (Ephesians 3:20 NKJV)
I also remember mornings getting ready for school and seeing my dad kneeling at a chair in the dining room or at his bedside. He was praying. Praying for me. As a child knowing that he was praying for me showed me just how much he loved me, it made me feel safe and secure. It conveyed to me how important I was to him.
Perhaps you are thinking, “Well, that is definitely not how I would describe my father!” Maybe your father was or is absent. Perhaps you’ve never felt cared for or loved by your father. There is a Father who loves you so much more than any earthly father could. God demonstrated his love for us by sending us his Son, giving us an intercessor through the Holy Spirit and giving us the gift of eternal life. We simply have to receive it. His love is freely given; we can freely receive it. 1 John 3:1 says,
“See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are.” (NLT)
So, what do we do? We know God loves us and wants us to live daily in His presence. It’s your choice to go to Him; He is always there waiting for you. It only takes one step in His direction. Mark Batterson in his latest book, Win The Day, asks the question, can you do it for one day? Can you go to the Father for one day? Can you carve out some time for Him for just one day? Then do it again the next day for just one day. The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Take that step toward God, the Father today. This journey is much better with God, our Father!
Kim Dewling
