What Makes A Dad Part Two

"God already knows what you need before you ask," Jesus tells us this in Matthew 6:8. I think a lot of people read this as "God knows what I really need", usually alluding to some hard life lesson. Maybe something like, "I needed a job and headed to my job interview but God made me miss the bus to show me something..."

This doesn't really line up with what Jesus says. After He tells us God knows what we need, He gives us a prayer after which we can pattern our lives.

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.

(Matthew 6:10-13)

Our Father knows what we need already. Now think about this - What does it mean for God's Kingdom to come and for His will to be done on Earth as it is in heaven?

Well, what is heaven like?

Are people sick?

Is there evil?

Is there hunger? Strife?

Toiling?

No. Heaven is a great place and Jesus wants us to see our world become more like it.

Notice how Jesus covers everything from being fed (physically) to be protected (physically) in this prayer.

Our Dad know what we need before we ask. So, let's word this in a more understandable way.

Dear Dad in Heaven,

You are awesome and great. Make my life & world perfect like heaven (no sickness and hurting). Thank you for providing for me & for forgiving me so that I can love others. Keep me away from trouble & protect me. Amen.

He does know what we need before we ask. And we can see through this prayer what a perfect Dad desires for His kids. Since we know what we really need now, we can believe that it will happen.

What Makes A Dad

I had a conversation with my friend, Brian, the other day. We started talking about kids and parenting since we have both been married to our wives for two years. As we talked, he said something that caught my attention.

"Any body can make a baby but it is all the other things that make you a dad."

I began to ponder this. My thoughts went immediately to my father. No, not my physical father. My spiritual Dad.

It make me sad to see people who don't see God as their Dad. Even a lot of Christians don't. They say things like "Our Heavenly Father". But saying isn't knowing or believing. God really is their Dad but they only see him as "Creator" (biologically). He doesn't provide for them. He becomes the distant, drunk, abusive guy or the strict man that they have to call father. He causes harm and heartache.

This isn't what a dad does. And no, the "he does it because he loves me" isn't an excuse. That is called battered woman/child syndrome. It's a lie.

So what does a real dad do? It's not that birthing of a child that's makes you a parent, it's how you care for the child.

“You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him." Matt 7:9-11

Isn't it true that God is good all the time? Why can we then justify that he does terrible things to people "for the greater good"?

I have news for you. Jesus died for the greater good so we could be saved from death. You aren't Jesus. You don't save. He does.

Yes, people are persecuted for the Gospel (not by God). After all, "no one ever hated his own body, but feeds it and cares for it, just as Christ does the Church - for we are members of His body." Eph 5:29-30

I never want to balance God's goodness by saying, "Sometimes God has to ______ in order to ______." He doesn't change. He won't lower His standards to anything less than being a perfect Dad.

So, do you look at God as just the Creator or do you see Dad. It is the good things he does for us to care for us that makes Him a Dad. Not because He has to but because He wants to.