AMY SANTARELLI |GUEST
When I was a little girl, I stood at the top of the stairs at my house. It wasn’t a huge staircase, maybe 5-6 steps high. My dad stood at the bottom, holding out his hands, and told me to jump. He was a strong dad. He promised he would catch me. I leaned forward, arms outstretched, but I wouldn’t jump. I was afraid. I doubted that he would catch me like he promised. He finally gave up and sadly walked away.
God as Our Father
God is our heavenly father and in His Word He describes Himself as a father and His love as like that of a mother. In the New Testament, the familiar term “Daddy” or “Papa” is even used. These parental words are used over 250 times in the Bible. Here are a few examples:
Isaiah 66:13: “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you.…”
Isaiah 49: 15: “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.”
Psalm 103:13: “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.”
I John 3:1: “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.”
Psalm 68:5-6: “A Father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing.”
Matthew 7:1:1 “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
We, even as sinful parents, can have great love for our children. Yet that love is imperfect, marred by weaknesses and our own selfish desires.
But God is not weak. He is not selfish. He does not get tired and irritable. He is perfectly righteous. This means He is without sin and therefore cannot sin against us in His dealings with us.
Do you believe these things about God and His loving care for you? Because the reality is this: our anxieties and fears often reveal what we truly believe…or don’t believe… about God.
God Loves it When We Believe Him
God loves it when we trust Him. He loves it when we believe who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do. God called Abraham His friend because Abraham believed God, even when he couldn’t yet see what God had promised him (James 2:22-23).
Have you ever had a time when your children didn’t believe that what you were doing was good for them? Maybe you had to take them to the doctor for an annual check-up or pull out a splinter in their skin, and they recoiled in fear, believing their childish, limited perspective. Saddened by their lack of trust, you likely spoke words of comfort and assurance to them, just like God does to us when we are afraid (Isaiah 41:10).
Often we respond similarly to God. We can’t see the whole picture, so we choose to rely on our limited perceptions, responding in fear instead of trust. This reveals what we truly believe.
Do you believe God is sovereign, but you struggle with trusting Him? Maybe it’s because you know that hard things happen—what if that’s His sovereign will for you? What if what you fear does come to pass?
To have and experience God’s peace in the midst of troubles, we must know God’s promises. We must remember God’s fatherly love for us. A love that has proved itself by not withholding His own Son, Jesus—for us. “He who did not spare his own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?” (Rom.8:32) To have that peace, we must believe that He is who He says He is and believe that He will do what He says He will do. Even when it’s not what we think is best.
We must put away low thoughts of God and instead believe that He is loving, good and kind. That He will never leave us or forsake us. That He works all things…yes, all things…for our good; the good that surpasses all that—making us like Christ and growing good fruit in us. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control: wonderful gifts He gives His children, even in the midst of suffering and trials.
Soak in the deep love your heavenly father has set upon you. Believe His promises. Trust His character. Take Him at His Word, even when you can’t see the outcome. Then you will be able to say this verse in confidence:
He will keep her in perfect peace, whose heart is stayed on Him, because she trusts in Him. (Isaiah 26:3).
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
