July 14, 2025 Devo

We just celebrated Father’s Day last month. It’s not an easy day for many people. For some of us, it’s hard because we’ve lost our fathers. We miss him, even though he may have passed away years ago. A big part of our heart died when he did. For others, it’s a hard day because we never knew our father. We wonder what he was like. We wonder why he left. We wonder why he never wanted to know us. We have lots of questions, but not many answers. Still others of us had fathers who were horrible people. They were abusers. They were mean drunks. Our dads may have been in and out of our lives, depending on what kind of mood they were in. Some of us feel totally “fatherless” even though our dads are very much alive because they really haven’t been what a “father” is supposed to be.
God knew how big a role fathers would play in our lives. He knew that some would get it really right and be exactly what fathers were supposed to be. He also knew how badly some would screw it up. But maybe that’s why God presented Himself the way He did and why David talks about God this way. And maybe that’s why Jesus taught us to pray, “Our FATHER who is in Heaven…”
God remains with us after our earthly fathers pass on. He is there to remind us of all they stood for and all they tried to impart to us. He listens like our dads did, advises like our dads did, and loves like our dads did. He’s our Father when we become fatherless. But He’s also there for those of us who never really knew a father like that. God replaces the image of the abuser and gives us a Father who lays His life down for us. God replaces the father who abandoned us and becomes the Father who will “never leave us or forsake us.” God steps into the lives of those of us who never knew our dads and becomes the one we SHOULD have known. He is the Father who is unbelievably strong, but amazingly tender. He is the Father who is there at every event, cheering us on and telling us how proud He is of us. He is the Father who weeps with us when our hearts are broken, laughs with us in life’s funny moments, and picks us up when we’ve fallen flat on our faces. He’s the Father whose arms are always open to us when we’ve failed, when we’re tired, or when we’re hurting. For some of us, He’s the Father we’ve always known. For others, He’s the Father we always wanted. Whatever the case is for you, one thing is sure. He’s thrilled to be Your Father. That’s God’s Word for you today.