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Knowing God

When You Need a Father Who’ll Never Leave

If you’re looking for a father who will never leave, God is the Everlasting Father.

My father died in February 1992, way before I was ready to say good-bye.

I grew up in a secure, loving home, and I never doubted my daddy’s love for me. When I was little, he taught me the alphabet and how to play Battle with a deck of cards.

Though he prided himself with his punctuality, he took my chronic tardiness in stride, driving me to school on countless days when I missed the bus.

When I was a teenager, he taught me to drive. Those driving lessons undoubtably took years off his life. I can still see him sitting in the passenger seat of my mother’s blue Chevy Nova, reluctantly allowing me to sit behind the steering wheel and drive around the mall’s parking lot. When I drove too fast, he’d stomp his right foot on the floorboard, unconsciously trying to put on the brakes.

When I brought home a good report card, he’d tell me he was proud of me. I always knew I’d have a home and plenty of food on the table (with ice cream for dessert) because my dad went to work every day to provide for us. I worried about lots of things in my childhood, but I never worried he’d leave.

Except he did leave.

When I was in my early twenties, we learned my dad had kidney disease. I didn’t want to accept the severity of his condition. After all, he was the strong one, the one who always took care of me.

 The doctors don’t know what they’re talking about. He can’t be that sick, I told myself.

But he was that sick, and after several years of struggling with health problems, my daddy died.

Grandfather holding his baby grandson.

So after all these years, I’m thankful for sweet memories of a dad who loved me, provided for me, and protected me. Don’t we all feel a need for someone to love and care for us?  But, unfortunately, some people don’t even have the memory of a compassionate father.

Because some have absent fathers. Abusive fathers. Aging fathers who need care.

 And, whether or not our fathers are good to us, they usually precede us in death, leaving us with a sense of our own mortality. Leaving holes in our hearts.  

But what a relief to know we have an Everlasting Father who’ll never leave. God won’t become weak and old. He won’t die. God understands us in ways no one else can. He knows what’s best, and in His Word we find reliable advice. Just as a father passionately, proudly, protectively loves the child who belongs to him, God loves us.

“Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
    his understanding is unsearchable.” Isaiah 40:28 (ESV)

Need someone bigger and stronger than you to protect you and defend you?  He is the Mighty God. (Isaiah 9:6)

When you need advice, the Lord is your Wonderful Counselor.

 Is your heart troubled? Do you need a shoulder to cry on? He’s the Prince of Peace, and you are his child.

And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Galatians 4:6 (ESV)

Heavenly Father, you’re always there for me. I thank you for providing for me, caring for me, counseling me, and protecting me. You always want the best for me and always cheer me on. Thank you for opening up your loving arms and embracing me when I’m weak. Amen.

So, friends, if you’re feeling weak or troubled, bring your cares to your Heavenly Father. Tell him about your joys and sorrows. Speak to him the way you’d talk to your dad.

Read Psalm 103. It reminds us of how God is like a good father… caring for us… getting angry at our sin but not staying angry… forgiving us… loving us no matter what.

As a father shows compassion to his children,
    so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. Psalm 103:13 (ESV)

When you need a father who’ll never leave, remember, God is the Everlasting Father.

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