For thousands of years God was known as many things: Creator, Almighty God, Lawgiver, Judge, etc. And all of these are true of Him. But with the coming of Jesus, we learned something different about God. The greatest revelation, the thing that God desires to be known as by each of us, is that of a loving, intimate, forgiving Father.
With the exception of one time while hanging on the cross, whenever Jesus referred to God it was as “Father.” In fact, the word he used was “Abba,” the intimate equivalent of Daddy or Papa. Of the many roles Jesus filled in his earthly ministry (prophet, teacher, healer, etc.), his primary concern was walking out his relationship as a loving, obedient Son (John 8:28-29,Heb.5:7-8).
One of my favorite stories that highlights this is from the Gospel of John, chapter 11. When Jesus’ friend Lazarus had died, he walked in on a scene of great grief and mourning. For four days this man had been dead. And as he approached the tomb where the body was laid it says this…
41So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Wow! How’s that for confidence? In the middle of tragedy, Jesus looks up and confidently declares that his Father is still there, listening to his prayers. He states that his desire was not just to do miracles, but for people to know he was God’s Son. He demonstrated that his power came not just from his own ability, but from his prayerful dependence upon his Father. And we see that this great victory, raising a man from the dead, was for us just another reaffirmation that God is an ever present, intimate and powerful Father.
What about you? When times are tough, where do you turn for strength? When things are going well, what do you you take pride in? With your roles and responsibilities, even with life’s challenges and difficulties, I encourage you to remember this one thing…the greatest thing:
“You, O LORD, are our Father,
our Redeemer from of old is your name.” -Isaiah 63:16
