Our Father

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.

THROUGHOUT THE OLD TESTAMENT, God is called by many magnificent names and given numerous majestic titles, but rarely is he described as Father—only fifteen times, to be exact. However, when we come to the Gospels, the first four books of the New Testament, we see God described as Father 165 times. All but one of these instances occur when Jesus is specifically teaching his disciples.

For example, in the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus teaches his disciples to pray, he says, “Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven . . .’”^a This is the first time in all of Scripture where anyone is encouraged to pray to God as Father. The significance is astounding. Followers of Jesus have the distinct privilege of knowing, worshiping, talking to, and relating to God as “our Father.”

I am awed when I read 1 John 3:1: “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God.” John cries, “See it! See the delight the Father has in you and me as his children!”

The rest of the New Testament beckons disciples of Jesus to see that God our Father delights in forgiving us, providing for us, leading us, protecting us, sustaining us, comforting us, directing us, purifying us, disciplining us, giving to us, calling us, and promising us his inheritance. Almighty God experiences pleasure in doing all these things for us as his children.^b This delight is not designed to be one-sided, though. When Jesus makes us his disciples, he transforms our minds to be like his. As followers of Jesus, we believe his truth and embrace his thoughts without exception. Being a disciple, however, involves much more than mere mental assent to Christ. Being a disciple involves emotional affection for him.

Faith fuels feeling. True intellectual knowledge of God naturally and necessarily involves deep emotional desire for God. If you are a disciple of Jesus, there is a sense of delight that characterizes not only God’s attention toward you, but also your affection toward him. Simply put, it is impossible to separate our faith in Jesus from our feelings for him.

Thank God that he has made you his child and given you the privilege of calling him Father. Ask him to give you greater affection for him based on his character and his promises.