For those who have struggled to see God as a good, good Father, myself included...
I pray for a revelation of the Father’s love. I pray that the eyes of our hearts would be opened to all things good and distinctly characteristic of fathers - protection, provision, loving discipline. That the pain and distrust accumulated from broken or distant relationships with fathers begin to fade as we realize their utter humanness and God’s perfect completeness.
For those of us who wonder if God truly cares or will provide for us...
I pray for faith to rest in His care. That the insecurity and anxiety of past, present, and future would be washed away. That whether you are figuring out next steps in your career or finding your ground after the loss of a family member, you would not feel alone in it. He has not left you to your own devices. He has not abandoned you. He does not give you false hopes.
Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matt 7:9-11)
He does not give you less than what is best for you, even if at the moment you cannot believe He is present or acting in your best interests. I think many times we end up in a gutter or a dead-end because we feared that if we yielded and submitted to God, we would somehow end up losing out, and so we decided to go it on our own.
For those of us who question God’s approval, and thus are always strive to earn it by our own means...
I pray that we would know this is precisely why Jesus died. When Paul describes his internal struggle with sin, he explains that new law of the Spirit was established for the sake of our freedom from condemnation. Under this law, we receive a spirit of sonship that enables us to live in fearless assurance of our acceptance.
What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh,4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Rom 7:21-8:24)
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
So we are God’s beloved children. And children have a lot of growing to do. It would be a mistake to think that we have to “get it together” in order to win our Father’s approval. I know this struggle all too well, as someone who grew up venerating my earthly father while constantly yearning for some small nod of approval - a compliment here, a smile there. Rather, I think the spirit of sonship lends us the power to trust Him and make changes, however big or small, that reflect our confidence.
My prayer is that the goodness and provision of the Father will become a reality as sure and concrete as the ground beneath our feet. Then we can move into the unknown, or simply endure, enveloped in rest.
