This Father’s Day will be my first without my earthly father. Dad passed away December 2, 2022, ending his long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. While I am thankful dad knew Jesus and is with his heavenly Father now, his absence from my life has left a bit of a hole in my heart. The truth is, I have been missing dad for years as the disease robbed him of much. Often, he was just present as a physical being and was a fragment of himself. I morn the things we missed as he battled the nasty disease for years.
During this journey and the recent months since dads passing, I have found strength, comfort, and peace in focusing on the attributes of God the Father, our Heavenly Father.
Loving- “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!”
1 John 3:1
Present- “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
Psalm 46:1
Strong- “In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul.”
Psalm 138:3
Shepherd- “He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.”
Psalm 23
Helper- “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10
Giver and Forgiver- “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16
Provider- “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”
Matthew 6:26
Healer- He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Psalm 147:3
Faithfulness-The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23
My earthly father was a good man and a good father. He taught me how to work hard, the importance of family, how to love your wife, to follow rules and stay out of trouble, to love others and love your country. Was he perfect? Far from it. He had his faults, as do I.
Some of you may have amazing fathers too. Fathers that were or are engaged and purposeful and have helped form who you are today. Perfect? Surely not. Some of you have a hard time when thinking about your father. Your father could have been absent, closed off, or possibly abusive in some way. Thinking about him brings out wounds that you would prefer to avoid.
In this month of June, we celebrate Father’s Day. As we do, may we focus on God the father and His attributes. He is a good and perfect Father, and his attributes are nothing short of amazing. This month the elders will be praying that you will experience God the Father in a new way, and you will be filled with a sense of peace and love as you reflect on His awe-inspiring attributes.
You may find this recently released book by Louie Giglio, Seeing God as a Perfect Father: and Seeing You as Loved, Pursued, and Secure, to be helpful. Here is a link to it:
Your brother in Christ,
Bill Haussler