God Our Father

Below is a little piece I just put into the church newsletter, so I thought I would post it here as well:

As I write this, Father’s Day is nearly upon us—my first Father’s Day as a father. It’s wonderful that our society has set apart days specifically for the honoring of family relationships. And fathers are worthy of special honor; not because we always do everything right (we don’t), but because good fathers are one of the most poignant pictures we have of the God we serve. When God chose to reveal himself to humanity, especially in the New Testament, he revealed himself as “Father.” Or, to get a little closer to the original word Jesus used, God reveals himself as Abba—“Daddy.” We’ll often refer to God in our prayers as “Heavenly Father,” which is all well and good, but it makes God sound distant and removed. I rather prefer the way that West African Christians refer to Him in their prayers and songs: “Papa God.”

Becoming a father this past year has led me to reflect anew on the Fatherhood of God. The process of watching Josiah grow has been a delight. And more than anything else, my relationship with Josiah has reminded me of the depths of God’s love for us. Josiah isn’t even really aware yet of the love I have for him, or what that love means—the affection, the commitment, the joy that is part of that love. And I think we, too, are often sadly unaware of the reality of God’s love for us—of the affection, commitment, and joy that he feels when he looks at us. The Bible tells us that God delights in us, that he rejoices over us with singing. And even when we mess up and fall back into our sins, God’s love does not waver. Just as with Josiah—he can frustrate me at times, but my love for him is never, never called into question. And just as I love Josiah in the midst of his weaknesses and failings, so God loves us in the midst of our weaknesses and failings.

There was one phase of Josiah’s growth, a few months back, where he was just starting to recognize faces. I would hold him in my lap, and he would stare around the room. His gaze would wander up to the ceiling, over to the lights, down to the paintings on the wall; and then, every once in a while, he would look straight into my eyes and smile. And those moments were an unspeakable joy. Again, it’s the same with God. He is always holding us, though we’re so often unaware of his presence. And then, every so often, we cast a glance toward him—maybe a prayer or a song or just a passing thought—and he delights in that moment. Oh, that we could learn to look his way more often! Just like a good father, God desires to be with us, to carry us, to wrap his arms around us. Just like a good father, he can be frustrated and disappointed by our failures and our sins—but because we are his children, bought with the blood of Christ, he never disavows his love for us. In the words of a Michael Card song, “He loves you with passion and without regret; he cannot love more and he will not love less.”

As we celebrate Father’s Day and look towards summer, spend some time with your Papa God, and revel in his love.