A few months ago while meeting with a group of young women
that I mentor, I asked them a very important question. I asked, “Do you have a hard
time viewing God as Father. “ To my surprise they answered, “YES.” So I asked, “Well, how do you approach God in prayer? Who is He in your life?” They simply replied, “He is God.” Many of God's children see Him as the Creator of the Universe. Of Heaven and Earth. Or the Supreme Being. But they don't see God as their Father. After
continuing this discussion with my daughter Emonne who frequently speaks at youth conferences,
I became aware that there is a generation of young people who are virtually fatherless. Either they never knew their father, or they never had a good relationship with him, therefore they find it difficult to embrace God as their Father.
Sometimes we take for
granted what comes natural to us, not realizing the uniqueness of what we have.
Since giving my heart to the Lord at the age of ten, I was
immediately drawn to a quiet place to be alone with God. I began to
cultivate an intimate relationship with Him. I thought what came natural to me, came natural to all of God’s children. But I now realize I have something special. And yet it's the very heartbeat of God to have an intimate Father/Child relationship with each of His children.
We Relate To God the Way We Relate to our Earthly Father
My Father was a kind man who never met a stranger. He would
talk to the girl behind the counter at the ice cream parlor and make her laugh. He was a friend to
the neighborhood boys, and would even take them fishing or for rides in the
back of his pickup truck. Everyone was welcome in our home. Daddy was lighthearted, easygoing, and very easy to talk
to. He bought me my very first bible when I was six or
seven years old. And He would sit down with me and we would read the scriptures together. I could ask him questions, and talk to him about anything. The
way I remember my dad, is the way I view my heavenly Father – full of love and
kindness, very tenderhearted, and absolutely and unequivocally approachable. And the
list goes on…The way we relate to our earthly fathers is often times the way we relate to our heavenly father.
Maybe your story is different from my story.
Maybe you have suffered abuse at the hands of your father. Or maybe your father was never there for you while you were growing up, and you feel as though God has abandoned you. Maybe you never knew your father at all. I am writing this post in hopes of reaching out to those who have never
known a father’s love. I hope to encourage those who may be
struggling with approaching God as Father.
As I was growing up there wasn’t anything my earthly father wouldn’t do me. God
is the same way. His love and faithfulness towards His children is unfathomable. Some
might say, "If He loves me so much, why did He allow this happen to me?" I don't have an answer to your question, but I can tell you that God works all things together and fits them into a plan for our good, when we love Him and are
called according to His purpose. But we must trust God through the process, and not
turn our backs on him because of what happened in our lives. If we
give God a chance, He will prove His love to us. In fact, He already did when
He gave up His only Son to die for our sins. Where would we be without the love of God and His ultimate sacrifice? If He didn’t withhold His only son, but gave Him up for
us all, how much more would God freely give us all things? Romans 8:32
A New Approach
How would you approach God if you knew He was
anxiously waiting to spend time with you so He could bless you and give you
what you’ve always longed for?
I want to challenge you to begin to approach God differently,
even if it feels strange or awkward at first. The next time you pray,
simply address God as, “Father” instead of “God" which can be a bit impersonal. If you are born again, God is your Father!
So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves.
Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now
we call him, “Abba Father.” For His
Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. Romans 8:15,
16 CEV
When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are immediately adopted into God's family. He becomes our Daddy! If you have been longing for someone to call Daddy, then get to know God
as your Father. It will change your life and open your heart to the depth of
love that you have always longed for. God has always been there for you, but maybe you haven't given Him the opportunity to reveal Himself to you as Father. Here are a some keys to help you cultivate a genuine love relationship with Abba Father.
7 Keys to Knowing God as “Father”
- See God as the Father you’ve never had
- When you pray begin to address God as “Father”
- Tell God about the hurts and disappointments you have suffered as a result of your earthly father, or the lack thereof
- Release the pain associated with your past by turning the issue over to God, and ask Him to give you the grace to forgive your father
- See yourself with a fresh start in life
- Ask God to reveal Himself to you as “Abba Father”
- Open your heart to receive the love of the Father
God Can Only Be to us What we allow Him
to Be
Two weeks after my high school graduation I lost
my father to cancer. I was 18 years
old, I was heartbroken. This was a pivotal time in my life, and for months I wavered between whether or not to press on and continue my education, or give up on my dreams of ever doing anything meaningful with my life. I'm glad I chose to press on to see what God had in store for my future.
God only
knows how I wish my dad had lived to know my husband and enjoy his grandchildren,
and great-granddaughter. Sometimes I think about how life would have been with my dad around to visit us
in our home, and spend time with my family. I know he would have loved them all
so dearly. But the beauty in my story is that my dad’s death caused me to draw closer to God in a way that I never had before. That's how I came to know Abba Father. I opened my heart to God during one of the darkest seasons in my life. When I was hurting and didn't feel like going on, I allowed God to reveal Himself to me in a fresh new way. You see, God can only be to us what we
allow Him to be. He doesn’t force His way into our lives, but He waits until He's welcome.
Through the post I honor of my father, George H.
Penny, who on September 15th would
have been 86 years old. So I say, "Happy Birthday Daddy! I love you so
much. Thank you for introducing me to my heavenly Father."
Love and Blessing to you always!
Kathy
For more information on knowing God as Father get a copy of my newest release, COME at KathyRGreen.com
For more information about my daughter Emonne Markland, her first release - Break Every Chain, or to invite her to speak to your youth, please visit EmonneMarkland.com
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