Our Father, Father to the Fatherless

All of us in this world have an earthly father. Whether that father is still with us or not is the only question. Some of us still can enjoy the company of our earthly father while others have been without them for some time. Yet, regardless of the position we are in, we have access to our heavenly Father always.

“⁵Father of the fatherless and protector of widows

is God in his holy habitation.”

— Psalm 68:5 (ESV)

Yes, there is a time to mourn the loss of a father in this world. That time is in the moment of loss and it is certainly recommended to do so. But, even in the loss, there is greatness in that we are not without. In fact, even with our earthly father still there, we are rich with the comfort of having our heavenly Father there with us as well. And when our earthly father is gone, our heavenly Father is still here to comfort and guide us forward.

Reread the verse above. See that God is with us in “holy habitation”. He is there for us regardless of where we might be. He is always there, even when we may not know it. I am taken back to the poem “Footprints in the Sand”, where God is seen as there in good times and in the bad, there is only one set of footprints where God is carrying us through. So even in the times when I am without an earthly father, God the Father is there with me.

We may not have a physical earthly father to lean on, yet we have our heavenly Father always. He is there walking alongside of us in times of joy and He carries us in times of sorrow. The thing is that He is always there for all.

What is your thoughts as relates to the Father? Are you even aware that the heavenly Father is there with you? What if you took on that you do have two fathers, earthly and heavenly, and that our heavenly Father is always there even when our earthly father is not?

Our Father, In Heaven – He Will Not Forsake Me

We have two fathers, our earthly father and our heavenly Father. Where both have a vital role in our lives, only one of them will not forsake us.

“¹⁰For my father and my mother have forsaken me,

but the LORD will take me in.”

— Psalm 27:10 (ESV)

I know what might be said and thought here as relates to the verse above, “my parents love me and would not forsake me”. Well, the truth is that they will. Earthly parents will not be here forever. They will pass and move on from this world and will likely do so before we leave. No, they may not turn their backs on you and or walk away from you, but they will leave and that in and of itself is forsaking.

I find comfort in knowing that the LORD will not leave me. He is with me today, this morning even as I sit here. He will be with me tomorrow and when I pass from this world, he will be with me in heaven. At every turn, the LORD will be with me and will not forsake me, His child.

There is no reason to speak ill of earthly parents forsaking of us. It is not their role to be with us always. They are here as stewards of God’s children, us, until that time we become mature in Christ. We should still love them and they will undoubtedly love us (taking into account those who may have been over taken by this world and the evil one). They understand that they are giving us over to our heavenly Father who they know will not forsake us as he has not forsaken them.

“¹¹Teach me your way, O Lord,

and lead me on a level path

because of my enemies.”

— Psalm 27:11 (ESV)

Just as our earthly parents taught us in this world, our heavenly father teaches us His way. He not only does not forsake us, He leads us forward beyond the teachings of our earthly parents. He takes over in the leading us forward. Our earthly parents can only take us so far and as their teachings wain, God’s teachings become more and more important for us to lean on. Another example of God’s not forsaking us, where our earthly parents will. Again, it is not that our earthly parents choose to leave, it is just that their time has ended in our growth and the LORD takes over.

What is your understanding of the role of your earthly parents? Are you reliant on them for the entirety of your life? What if you realized and transitioned to reliance on God, knowing that your parents will leave you as their time does come to an end and God’s never does?

Leave Your Father

“²⁴Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” – Genesis 2:24 (ESV)

Lori and I have been married for 27yrs plus. There is nothing I would not do for her including going. Going to the store, to the game, to the theater, frankly, wherever she would like to go. We are one in this world together and have been since the day we said “I do”. There has never been a question as to where I am to spend my life and time, with her.

I believe that I have trained my boys to be the same. Take care of their wife (whoever and whenever that might be). Being fully with them in all. I am their earthly father and love them dearly, yet they are not mine to keep. My boys are the sons of the Father on high. They should leave me and be with their wives and be with their heavenly Father going forward.

I will admit that I am internally emotional with my sons leaving when the time comes. I ask myself, have I trained them up, are they ready to be husbands and fathers themselves, did I do well enough? And, I also know that there is nothing that I can do to fully prepare them for all that is coming in their lives. But the one thing I can hold on to is that I did the best that I could with what I have and that I leave it all up to their heavenly Father to carry them through going forward.

They are not their fully yet. Bryson has a serious girlfriend and Aarron is headed to the Navy. So, I have some additional time to prepare them for leaving me as their father. But they will and that is expected. I do not wish they stay with me. They are to go and be with their wives when the time comes and that will leave me to fully be with my wife Lori for the rest of our time here in this world.

What is you view of where you are to be when the time comes? Is your wife to be with you? What if you take to be with your wife and know that is where the LORD wants you to be?