Christian Reflection and Prayer

To all who believed him and accepted
him, he gave the right to become
children of God. John 1:12 NLT

God's fatherhood

Most people in the world would
agree with the statement that
"we are all God's children.
" It's a nice sentiment. It just
isn't what the Bible teaches.
According to God's Word,
unrepentant sinners are
actually God's enemies
(see Romans 5:10 and Colossians 1:21)
!It's only when we put our trust
in the Lord Jesus Christ that
we are reconciled to God and
experience forgiveness and
adoption into God's forever
family (Galatians 4:5; Ephesians 1:5).

For a Christian going through hard
times, this "adoption" truth is the
best of all possible news. God is
not just the powerful Creator or a
righteous Lord, he is a loving Father.
He sees your trials. He listens to
your pleas. He cares and protects
and supports. He is never harsh
or impatient with you. He is never
"too busy" for you.

Take all the best qualities of all the
best earthly dads you've ever seen,
add them together, and multiply by
infinity. That's the kind of heavenly
Father God is to Christians who hurt.

Lord Jesus, I do believe in you. I
have accepted you as my Savior
and Lord. Thank you for revealing
yourself to me. Thank you for saving
me! Because of your grace and my
faith, I am a child of the living God.
I praise you. What a privilege! What
joy to know that in every situation
I have a loving, wise, and good
heavenly Father to counsel and help me.

adapted from Praying God's Promises
in Tough Times by Len Woods, Tyndale
House Publishers (2002), pp 68-9
As a substitute father for hundreds of
youth over the past thirteen years,
I've yet to encounter a young person
in trouble whose difficulty could be
traced to the lack of a strong father
image in the home.
PAUL ANDERSON