Devo 34: Show us the Father

Just imagine. Jesus comes up to you like a daddy with his little child, grabs your wrists, and swings you around in the air. You are spinning around wildly. Your feet are flailing in the wind. Everything around you is a blur and the only thing you can see is His face.


You are a little nervous—“What if He drops me?” You know this is supposed to be fun, but it is actually quite nerve-wracking. Then, you look into His eyes, and He is smiling. He does not say a word, but you know by His eyes, He is saying, “Just trust me.”

This is what life feels like sometimes when you are fully trusting in Jesus. Everything is spinning around you, your feet have been knocked out from under you, and you really only have one choice—to trust Him.

Since the summer, the Lord has been teaching me about the heart of the Father. A few weeks ago, I had a dream that had to do with Romans 8:15, “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption by which we cry out, “Abba, Father!”

The Lord showed me that this revelation of our adoption as sons of the Good Father drives away fear and insecurity from our lives.

For this to become a reality in our hearts, we first have to understand that God is good, and He is a good Father. Jesus came to show us the Father (Jn. 14). He said that if human fathers, being sinful, know how to give good gifts to their children, then how much more would your heavenly Father give good gifts (Mt. 7:11).

Knowing that He is Good is the key to trusting Him. When we trust Him, then fear has no place in our lives, and we can surrender control to Him. Enjoyment of life and thankfulness can then enter our lives, and we can be secure no matter the circumstances.

In a class a few weeks ago, I heard that every person has four basic needs for a father: security, love, affirmation, and purpose; yet, because every earthly father is human, those needs cannot be completely met by them. Consequently, we attempt to meet those needs with anything else we can find until we realize that there is only one way to meet them. We must learn to have those needs met in our heavenly Father.

Security: Romans 8:15. This verse in Romans is about having our security in the Father. We have no reason to fear when we realize that the God of all creation is our Father and we can cry out to Him.

Love: I John 3:1. “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” It is not a coincidence that this verse highlights the love of the Father, and I John is all about the love of the Father being in us so that we may be like Him. Furthermore, the passage in Romans continues by assuring us that nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God (Rom. 8:35-39).

Affirmation: Galatians 4:4-7. “Therefore, you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” In this passage, Paul ties in the spirit of adoption that cries out, “Abba, Father!” with our identity as sons of God and heirs of the kingdom. The Romans 8 passage also speaks of our identity as heirs and how all creation is waiting for the sons of God to come into their identity as heirs of the kingdom, and that we are eagerly awaiting for our adoption, the redemption of our bodies (Rom. 8:19, 23). Again, in Romans 8, the Father affirms our identity as being “more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37).

Purpose: Romans 8:28-29. This passage speaks of the intercession of the Spirit for all those that are “called according to His purpose.” This purpose is to be “conformed into the image of His Son.” This is the “hope of our calling” that we would be “pure just as He is pure” (Eph. 1:17-19; I John 3:2-3; Matt. 5:48). This is our purpose and destiny. It is more than just our calling or ministry here on earth. Our destiny is to become like Him, even as Jesus prayed in John 17:23.

When the world is spinning around us, we can find our security in the love of the Father. We can also have our needs of affirmation and purpose met in Him and what He says of us. We can trust Him and stare into His eyes even if there is no one else to trust.

This week, meditate on the Good Father. Read Romans 8, Galatians 4, and I John 3-4. Ask the Lord to reveal Himself to you as Father. Ask Him to show you insecurities in your life and places where you have not trusted Him. Ask Him to forgive you and help you place your trust in Him.

Jesus, you came to show us the Father. I pray you would reveal Him to our hearts in an even greater way. Bring restoration to us. Turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers (Mal. 4:6). Let us show the love of the Father to a lost and dying world. We love you, Lord. Thank you that we can put our trust in You. Amen.

Love,

Amanda
 
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