Turining Point Church

There is a Spanish story of a father and son who had become estranged. The son ran away, and the father set off to find him. He searched for months to no avail. Finally, in a last desperate effort to find him, the father put an ad in a Madrid newspaper. The ad read: Dear Paco, meet me in front of this newspaper office at noon on Saturday. All is forgiven. I love you. Your Father. On Saturday 800 Pacos showed up looking for forgiveness and love from their fathers.

There is nothing sadder than to see the number of families in our country where no father is present. Never have more American children lived in a single-parent home minus their dads than today. But the good news is, where earthly men fail, God takes up the slack!

“When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take care of me.”--Ps. 27:10

When I think about the “Fatherhood” of God, several characteristics come to mind. First, God is a willing Father. We are told that Jesus prayed in the Garden, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me.” If I had been God, I’d have whisked my Son out of there that very moment. But because of the Father’s great love, He was willing to let His Son die on the cross for you and me. That is a willingness I cannot comprehend. But thank God, He was willing!

Second, God is a weeping Father. He weeps over our sins. When Jesus stood looking out over Jerusalem, He saw the handwriting on the wall. Because they had rejected their Messiah, the clouds of judgment were already forming on the horizon. Jesus wept over them, saying: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you willing.”—Matthew 23:37 Likewise, our Heavenly Father’s heart is broken every time we walk away from Him into sin.

And third, our Heavenly Father is a waiting Father. When the Prodigal Son demanded his inheritance and set off for the far country, the father in Jesus’ parable patiently waited. He knew that one day his boy would awaken to the folly of his decision and long to return home. The father waited. Not with folded arms or angry brow, but with longing eyes and loving heart his eyes were peeled on the horizon. So our Heavenly Father patiently waits for us to return to His arms.

Our Heavenly Father is a willing, weeping, and waiting Father Who loves us more than our finite minds can possible imagine. Wherever our earthly father may be, we can thank God that we have an awesome Heavenly Father to rejoice in today!