For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. - Romans 8:16 NLT
When I was younger, I would always call my Mom “Mommy” and my Dad “Daddy.” I remember my friends used to call their parents Mom and Dad. As I grew, I privately thought, “I will need to call my parents Mom and Dad one day.” My ‘mature’ side wanted this transition. Still, my younger ‘son’ side enjoyed the innocence and intimacy of calling my parents Mommy and Daddy.’ I remember the ‘weird yet mature’ feeling of finally saying, “Mom and Dad.’ As great as my parents are, God has revealed Himself as an amazing Father in 3 encouraging ways.
First, God is mighty. My Dad was a teacher and a mechanic. He had a burly chest and the most muscular fingers. I used to say he could flex his index finger because he had biceps in his fingers. He was a strong Dad who even led me to Jesus. But God has revealed Himself as the ultimate Father who is powerful. Job 36:5 says, God is mighty…” and in Psalm 24:8, the psalmist writes, “The Lord strong and mighty …” Because Our God is powerful, He can handle any problem we have.
Second, God is our Father. Out of all of God’s ways, He chose to reveal Himself as a Father. Indeed, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” (Romans 8:16). To show the intimacy of God, He is even called the Father of the Lord Jesus. (2 Corinthians 1:3) Because God the Father enjoys incredible familiarity with the Son, we can enjoy intimacy with the Father.
Third, Jesus explains what God is like. I love the verse in John 1:18 where John says that Jesus is “… at the Father’s side, has made Him known.” Because Jesus became flesh and made His dwelling among us, we have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) The way to know God the Father is to know Jesus. Let’s model the love, grace, and compassion of Jesus so that we might be like God our Father.
Dig Deeper
- In what ways do you find your faith floundering because you have forgotten how mighty God is?
- The Spirit testifies that we are children of God and He is our Father. Ponder these truths. How can they encourage you? Help you feel secure?
8 Prayers for Father’s Day
We need Godly Fathers. Civilizations feel the impact of a man fulfilling or not fulfilling his calling as a Father. The rest of us should be praying for and encouraging the men in our life to step up and into their roles. Four of the following prayers are to help you pray for the Fathers in your life. The final four prayers are for Father’s to pray over themselves to find the strength from their heavenly Father for their sacred charge.
Prayers For a Father
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Romans 15:13
Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
- Matthew 28:18-20
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
- Galatians 5:22-23
Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.
- Proverbs 22:6
Prayers From a Father
Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.
- Joshua 1:7
Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.
- 2 Peter 3:18
So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
- John 1:14
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.
- Mark 10:45
First, God is mighty. My Dad was a teacher and a mechanic. He had a burly chest and the strongest fingers. I used to say he could flex his index finger because he had biceps in his fingers. He was a strong Dad who even lead me to Jesus. But God has revealed Himself as the ultimate Father who is mighty. Job 36:5 says, “God is mighty…” and in Psalm 24:8, the psalmist writes, “…The LORD strong and mighty …” Because Our God is mighty, He can handle any problem we have.
Second, God is our Father. Out of all the ways God has revealed Himself, He chose to reveal Himself as a Father. Indeed, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:16). To show the intimacy of God, He is even called the Father of the Lord Jesus. (2 Corinthians 1:3) Because God the Father enjoys incredible intimacy with the Son, we can enjoy intimacy with the Father.
Third, Jesus explains what God is like. I love the verse in John 1:18 where John says that Jesus is “… at the Father’s side, has made Him known.” Because Jesus became flesh and made His dwelling among us, we have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). The way to know God the Father is to know Jesus. Let’s model the love, grace, and compassion of Jesus so that we might be like God our Father.
Dig Deeper
- In what ways do you find your faith floundering because you have forgotten how mighty God is?
- The Spirit testifies that we are children of God and He is our Father. Ponder these truths. How can they encourage you? Help you feel secure?
