A Change in Point of View or Perspective: Part II God as a Father

 

²⁶ For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. Galatians 3:26 English Standard Version

            First among the myriads of changes in point of view when we become a Christian, is how we view God. Many people view God as the big judge in the sky, just waiting to punish us for their misdeeds. Others view God as a grandfather sort of creature, someone who loves them without restraint or condition. Still others view God as a divine vending machine, someone, or something, who will grant their desires once they find the right coin of faith or prayer and deposit it. And others view God as a distant tinkerer who designed this universe, wound it up, and walked away to let it unwind on its own. There are other ways of viewing God. Many of them contain some component, or kernel, of truth; however, most people miss one of the great truths of how we view God. He is our Father.

            Viewing God as our Father not only changes things it presents a significant challenge for most of us. Our experience with our earthly father shapes, or informs, our view of fathers in general and our heavenly father specifically. I’m one of the blessed ones. My earthly father, while not perfect, was a good and godly man. He sought to walk out his life in a manner that honored God and was pleasing to Him. Many others do not enjoy such an example. Their earthly fathers were brutish thugs who ruled their homes through threats, intimidation, and in some horrible cases physical and emotional abuse. Through painful experience they learned not to trust fathers. When presented with the idea that God is their father, they view Him through the lens of their own painful experience with their earthly father. They, understandably, extend this distrust to the Lord. But that is not how God wants us to relate to Him. Jesus helps clarify this in the famous parable, The Prodigal Son, found in Luke 15. Consider the portion pasted below. As you read, pay close attention to the behavior of the father.

²⁰ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. ²¹ And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ ²² But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. ²³ And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. ²⁴ For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate. Luke 15:20-24

            Jesus, knowing that so many of us have endured abusive, callous, absent, or indifferent fathers, painted a very detailed picture of our heavenly father. He wanted us to know what God is like. In the parable we see a father who longs for his son to return home. His father saw him trudging home from a long way off. We see a father who runs to meet his son. He cannot wait for his son to make it down the street and up the drive to the front gate. He’s so glad to see his son make the first attempt to come home that he runs, flip-flops, or chanclas, slapping in the dust. We see a father who loves his son so much that he hugs him close despite him being still covered in the filth and stench of the pigsty. We see a father who ignores that son’s feeble attempts to make things right. Oh, the son had a good speech prepared. He owned his miserable behavior and was willing to be a servant in his father’s house, not a son. But oh, the Dad would not even listen. He called for a new robe, a ring, and a party. Which brings me to my last point, we see a father who throws a party when his son comes home. There is no hiding the son in the back room under a cloud of guilt. No, there is a party with lots of food and celebration. This is our father.

            When we embrace, or are embraced by the Lord, we find ourselves adopted by a loving, forging, generous, party throwing father. He rejoices at our coming home. Whatever your earthly father was like, God wants to readjust your viewpoint. He wants you to know and believe down deep in your bones, that He loves you. Oh yes, He is pure and more holy than we can imagine; but, He made a way for us to come to him, to be embraced by him, to be washed clean of whatever filth we may have rolled in and be restored to right relationship. Oh and don’t forget, He is so thrilled with your return that He throws a party. This is our father and this is our God. First among the changes in our viewpoint that He desires is our view of Him. Gone is the eternal punishing judge. Gone is the heavenly vending machine. Gone is the distant uncaring tinkerer. Gone is the sadistic tormentor enjoying our pain and suffering. All of this is replaced by a loving, tender, forgiving father who anxiously looks for the first sign of return and then runs to meet us.