Our Loving Father

Many people find it difficult to think of God as a loving father because they see him through the eyes of past experiences. God describes his nature to Moses as being “merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6).

Satan loves to plant a perverted view of the Father in your mind, just as he tried with Job when Job accused God of being a “spy in the sky.” The devil tries to make you believe God is more willing to condemn you than he is to save and bless you. “For now, You number my steps, but do not watch over my sin. My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and You cover my iniquity” (Job 14:16-17). Job was saying, “Lord, you’ve been trailing me to see if I’m going to fail. You’re putting all my sins in a bag and saving them for judgment against me.”     

The truth is, God was not spying on Job at all. He was so full of love for Job that he was boasting of him. When we are in the midst of trials and difficulties, we tend to forget what God says about his own nature. Yet if we could only believe him in such times, we would have peace and assurance in our souls. Again, and again we see:

• God is ready to forgive at all times. “You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive” (Psalm 86:5).
• God is patient with us, full of tenderness and mercy. “The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works” (Psalm 145:9).
• He is slow to anger. “The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy” (Psalm 145:8).

When you go before the Lord in worship, be very careful what kind of image of God you take into his presence. Be fully convinced that he loves you and that he is all he says he is!