For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9: 6
Jesus proclaims in John 10 that He and the Father are One. There’s no real separating of this Trinity union. Sure, as humans, we appreciate knowing the different ‘roles’ of God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit, but, in all reality, they are so unified that they are One.
Considering Jesus as our Father is an essential aspect of a vibrant walk with Him. Perhaps no other name for God elicits greater emotions. If our earthly father has been wonderful, we can readily fall into the arms of our loving Heavenly Father because we may be more apt to trust Him and love Him. Conversely, if we have grown up in a home with an absent, neglectful or harsh earthly father, we may be very hesitant to believe that our Heavenly One really wants to care for us.
God has blessed me tremendously with an earthly dad who has loved and cared for me throughout the years. Is he perfect? When I was younger, I’m sure I would have said yes. But, obviously, he is not. No earthly father is. However, my dad has provided a picture of a father who has loved me, disciplined me, cared for me, treasured me. I am deeply grateful for a relationship with him and for the way he opened the door for me to receive the fatherhood of God too.
A great earthly dad is limited in many ways compared to God, not the least of which is that he is not everlasting like our Heavenly Father. Our fallen world requires that this temporal body will pass away one day and the love and care of our here-and-now fathers will become a cherished memory. But, Jesus is an everlasting Father. One who will never fade. One who will never perish. To coin a phrase from a favorite children’s movie, He will be from “infinity and beyond”!
So, what if you have difficulty accepting Jesus as your Everlasting Father? Maybe your human father was very fallen and has jaded you in believing that God could ever care for you and call you His very own daughter. I would encourage you to go to God’s Word and read about Him, see His trustworthy promises, and understand His Fatherly love for His children.
Regardless of the kind of father you have had here on earth, seek the perfect Everlasting Father. This is just a glimpse of His sacrificial glory:
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2: 5-11
Love, Wendy
