A Not-So-Distant Father

Written by Sherri Bergmann

Out of a dozen people who were asked why they loved their father, the most common answer was that their father worked hard and provided for them. They shared fond memories, and what stood out was how their fathers demonstrated love—not just to family, but also to those outside of it. One person said they could always go to their father for help. Another commented that even though the words “I love you” weren’t said often, there was never any doubt how deeply he loved his family.

Two admitted they didn’t have a close relationship with their father—one due to absence, the other because he had broken the family apart, leaving behind hurt and fragility.

Many will be celebrating the love they share with their father on Father’s Day. Others won’t. Though that’s a painful and universal truth, there is a deeper and better one to hold onto.

In the Old Testament, God was often viewed as distant—someone to be feared. When Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman in John 4, she said,

First, Jesus is the first to invite us to call God “Father.” In Matthew 6:9, He taught us to address God in prayer as "Father."
 
Second, He revealed that God isn’t confined to a place. We don’t have to go somewhere special to talk to Him. We can turn to our Father anytime, anywhere. Jesus made it clear to the Samaritan woman: God is not an absentee Father.

While God is always present, not everyone chooses to seek Him or walk in Spirit and truth. Some try. Some don’t. Some won’t.

The Old Testament God is identified as a father figure and as our father:

• “But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” Isaiah 64:8
• "For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, as a father disciplines the son he delights in.” Proverbs 3:11-12
• "He is your father, your God, who has made you and who will help you.” Deuteronomy 32:6
• "Surely you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not acknowledge us; you, Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old.” Isaiah 63:16

Still, “dramatic” might be too soft a word for the way Jesus changed how people saw God—and how they related to Him. The contrast between the Old and New Testaments is stark: Jesus came to bridge the gap between God and man.

In the Old Testament, God is described as a Father. But in the New Testament, Jesus goes further: He not only tells us to call God our Father—He emphasizes that those who follow God are family.

This verse solidifies that those who do God's will are considered His family, even more so than our biological relatives.
 
As we become family, we are also His heirs,

Being children of God and co-heirs with Christ means we may face hardship as He did, but we also receive the promises and inheritance of eternal life.

Not only did Christ confirm God is our Father, God told us in 2 Corinthians 6:18,
In the Old and New Testament God is described as a loving disciplinarian, a provider, one who guides, helps and protects us, and is there for us 24/7. Our earthly fathers may fail us, but God is love and love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8). His love is eternal and unchanging. We can rest on His promises.

God is a forever Father. Earthly fathers are with us for a time—some make the most of it, some don’t, and others simply can’t. But with God, there is never a “can’t.”
 
God is always within our reach,