"Father or Boss?"
The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
For he knows how weak we are;
he remembers we are only dust. (Psalm 103:13, 14 NLT)
How many of us view God as father? This is one of the primary descriptions of God in the Bible. When Jesus begins the Lord's prayer his first words are, "Our Father." Many of us don't struggle to see God as father but we struggle with what kind of father he is. We have many different backgrounds with many different father figures. It's highly likely that we view God like our earthly father. For some of us this is great but for others it can be somewhat of a nightmare. If we grew up with a loving, kind, supportive father we tend to view God this way & have little problem relating to the God of the Bible. But, if we grew up with an abusive father or absentee father we tend to view God the same way. God seems to be aloof or ready to run out on us at the first sign of wrongdoing. None of our fathers are perfect & so it's likely, no matter our background, that we have some misconceptions of God as our father. This Psalm gives us a sneak peak, a small dose if you will, a snapshot of God as Father.
"The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust." Does this sound like God our father? Do these words here describe our view of God? Words like tender, compassionate, understanding, patient, & forgiving? If not, then we have misunderstood God as our father. The love of an earthly father for their child is so strong. And Jesus said if we who are evil know how to give good gifts to our kids, how much more does he know how to give us what we need? Or think about what 1 John says when it describes the love of God for his children. "What manner of love you have lavished upon us that we should be called children of God!"
Also, when Jesus talks about God he describes him as the father to the prodigal. He doesn't wait for his son to get out his speech about how he wants to be a servant. He interrupts him with kisses & throws a party for him, having waited anxiously for him to return home. He doesn't come home to a lecture about how he blew all the kindness of his father but he is welcomed with hugs & celebration as if he had always perfectly obeyed. In this way, Jesus reveals God as our father, not as our boss.
This is our father. This is our God. If we have any other picture of him as his children then we must ask him to change our hearts. We don't have to wonder if he loves or approves of us. We don't have to go up & down with our circumstances wondering if he cares. We have been accepted as sons in Jesus & nothing can ever, ever change that!
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