God is so awesome! He is majestic, powerful, and all-knowing, along with so many other attributes. Isn’t it interesting out of the many things we could call Him, He prefers “Father.” Why would God use the term “Father” to describe Himself? Why does He call us His children? Why does He want us to call Him Father?

As a child I was blessed with a great father. I am still blessed to have my father with me. My father has always been my hero. I have admired him all of my life and still do. Although he is not perfect, he helped me to relate to a Heavenly Father Who is.

My father is dependable. No matter what happened, I knew he would be there. I never had to worry if my father was going to do what he said he would do. Sometimes I wished he would forget when unpleasantries were involved.   If he promised to take me somewhere, we went. If he promised to discipline me, he did not forget.

My father is trustworthy. Along with being dependable, I never knew him to lie. I could believe in him. Sometimes I did not understand why he did things, but I knew I could trust him. When I was a young child, there were many times I just had to trust my dad, much like jumping into his arms. I knew he would catch me. I always knew he would never hurt me intentionally. I had complete faith in my father.

My father provided for his family.   Honestly, both of my parents worked hard to take care of our family. We never went hungry, nor did we lack for shelter. My parents provided for our needs and many of our wants. We were not rich in the material sense of the word, but we were rich in many other ways.

My father was a disciplinarian. He maintained order in the home. My mom was not one to say, “Wait till your father gets home.” She dealt with things as they came up, but I still dreaded Dad coming home if I had messed up. She didn’t have to say it.   You know the old adage–this will hurt me more than it hurts you. Well, I heard that more than once. I never understood it until I had children of my own. My Dad had a way of looking at you that made you feel bad. I could feel his disappointment. I would rather have had a spanking than one of his talks. I was one of those children who did not want to displease her father. His disappointment broke my heart.

My father is a loving, forgiving father. I have never once doubted his love for me. I knew there was nothing I could do that would cause him not to love me. His merciful and tender heart has caused him pain many times. He is the kind of man who sheds a tear when he watches a sad movie or watches scenes from the Holocaust. My Dad wanted to fix the world.

My father is a good role model. He is someone who anyone could look up to and emulate. He is a patient and kind man, yet he will protect his family whenever necessary. I guess that would make him brave, too.

Most importantly, my father is a Godly man. He has been faithful to serve God since I can remember. My parents had me in church when I was only a few days old. Over the years I never asked the question, “Are we going to church today?” I knew the answer to that one. If I wasn’t sick, we went to church. Actually, my parents not only went to church, but they actively served in the church. They were not just observers.

I believe going to church faithfully is very important, but even more important than attending church was the fact that my father lived it at home. My father did not watch things on television that he shouldn’t, use inappropriate language, listen to ungodly music, or go places he shouldn’t go. My mother didn’t, either, for that matter. They lived what I was being taught on Sunday.

You can see why God uses the term father to describe Himself. He is the perfect father. Our Heavenly Father is dependable as well as a provider. We know as his children, He will provide for our every need. No matter what we are going through, our Heavenly Father is always there.

Our Heavenly Father has written many promises in His Word. He keeps every one of them. He will never leave us nor forsake us. We can trust that whatever we are going through, He is there to walk with us. Even when we don’t understand what God is doing in our lives, we can trust that it is for our good.

I know my Heavenly Father loves me because He disciplines me. He has taken me to the Heavenly woodshed many times. He wraps His arms around me and tells me how I have hurt the kingdom with my actions. My heart grows convicted when I hurt or disappoint Him.   I mentioned the talks that I did not enjoy earlier. I don’t enjoy God’s at all-until the chastening is over. My Heavenly Father is so forgiving. He forgave all of my sins when I accepted Jesus Christ. The best part is, I am still forgiven even though I continually mess up.

My Heavenly Father is faithful. He is faithful to love, to forgive, to discipline, to provide, to be trustworthy, to be an example, and to keep His Word.

A perfect father needs children to nurture and care for. He needs children to fellowship with and love. The perfect God in Heaven has chosen those of us who accept His Son to be called His children.

What a privilege to call Him “Father”!