Loving. Caring. Faithful. These words pop in my mind when I think of a fathers. But my earthly father abandoned me for part of my childhood.
When my dad reappeared in my life, he was a self-proclaimed atheist. He held no belief in God, much less the idea of a heavenly Father who loves us and never leaves His children.
Yet, after sixteen years of praying for him, my dad finally believed in God and accepted Christ as Savior.
Dad passed away in 2010. So, I’m always a little tear-filled, a tad heart-broken, and a bit soul-grieved this time of year.
Because I miss so many things about my dad. I miss his presence in my life and talking to him. I miss making him a lemon pie on his birthday and Father’s Day. Oh, how I loved him.
Still, I have the honor and privilege to celebrate three fathers every year. My biological dad in heaven, Gene. And my first stepdad, Wendell.
Wendell helped raise me, and he loved me and cared for me exactly the same as his own biological daughter (my younger sister). I still get to see Wendell on occasion, chat with him by phone, and love him dearly.
Both of my earthly fathers will always have a special place in my heart. But, as we honor fathers this month, I also want to highlight my heavenly Father. He’s the third father mentioned, but first in my life.
As we celebrate fathers, it reminds us of God’s love and care for us as our heavenly Father.
10 Father-Attributes to Celebrate in Our Heavenly Father
(1) He adopts us.
“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure” Ephesians 1:5, NLT.
(2) He loves big.
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are” 1 John 3:1a.
(3) He cares.
“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” 1 Peter 5:7.
(4) He listens.
“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him” 1 John 5:14-15.
(5) He stays close.
“For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him?” Deuteronomy 4:7.
The Father’s Provision, Promises, and Purpose
(6) He provides.
“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” Matthew 7:11.
(7) He keeps His promises.
“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations” Deuteronomy 7:9.
Speaking of Abraham, “No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised” Romans 4:20-21.
(8) He fulfills His purpose.
“I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me” Psalm 57:2.
(9) He thinks about us and has our best interest in mind.
“Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you” Psalm 139:16-19.
(10) He’s faithful to His Word and completes His work in us.
“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” Numbers 23:19.
“God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” 1 Corinthians 1:9.
This is a great verse to insert your name. God is faithful, by whom Karen was called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Happy Father’s Day
Father’s Day is a wonderful celebration for some and hard for others. But whatever your earthly father-child experience; God, the Father, is incomparable. He remains the most faithful and loving Father ever!
*All verses are ESV unless noted.
Featured Photo by Mohamed Awwam on Unsplash.
