The Love of the Father-God

The Bible Study group greeted each other before we settled down for our lesson on “God the Father.” In John 1:12 we read, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God….” The Creator of the universe wanted a family, and He chose us before the foundation of the world to be His very own. Most of the ladies were encouraged as we discussed the Scriptures. I can still see one young woman who was sitting on the end of the sofa. She seemed to be in great distress, and her eyes filled with tears. Although we had not completed the day’s study, I asked her if she needed prayer. Taking a long breath, she said, “I will never call God…Father. That word holds too much agony for me. I can call Him Creator, Savior, Lord, and Master, but I cannot call Him Father.” Then she shared her intense pain of abuse at the hands of her earthly father before he walked away from the family. After years of silence, he had contacted her and asked to meet with her. We prayed with her, asking the Holy Spirit to show her the pathway of forgiveness and let her know whether or not to meet with the man who had tormented her. It wasn’t easy, but she made the decision to meet with him, and in the meeting she forgave him. She said, “When I made the decision to forgive my dad, something changed in me…I was set free, and now I can whisper Father-God. I am free and my feelings for my dad are changing day by day. I can finally pray for his eternal salvation.”