Written By: Kari Dickson

I have an amazing earthly father.  I never doubted he loved me for even a minute. From my earliest memories of childhood until now, his love for me has been unconditional. I remember as a small girl all the way to becoming an adult, curling up in my dad’s lap and feeling such comfort.  But even as amazing as he has been to me, he could not possibly be everything I needed. There are times he has disappointed me. Times I didn’t feel close to him or that he wasn’t putting in the effort in our relationship that he should. My disappointment in him has come when I expect him to know me and meet my needs like only a heavenly father can do.

Our earthly fathers can only display a part of who our true Father is. My dad has done an amazing job pointing me to my heavenly Father above all else and has never claimed he would be all I need. I know my circumstances are different from many others. For some of you, your father may be one that you didn’t see anything of your heavenly Father in, if you had any father at all. “Father” may sit as a bitter, anger-filled word in your mouth that conjures up emotions that you don’t like to face and feel.

When you think about God as your father, what comes to mind? This is the most important thing about you. But do you have right thinking about Him? Or are you comparing Him up against a human-like figure of a father that disappointed you, failed you, abandoned you or was only a portion of who God is? We can often take our own understanding of who God is and make a judgement based upon our own truth and not His.

When we think of God and who He is, we must test it against His character in His Word. When we do this, He can reveal to us who He truly is. It’s hard for us to imagine that one person could be all these things, but He is. He is not a person as we know persons. He is so much more. He meets our every need in a way that will bring us closest to Him. Your heavenly Father wants to be all you need. He wants to raise you up with Him until the day of Christ Jesus. God is a jealous God. He wants nothing to divide your heart against His. He stops at nothing to bring you to His heart.

I sat in my living room the morning I wrote this in the midst of a trial that no human could comfort me in. I had an appointment the next day to confirm whether I had cancer or not. Every worse-case scenario has ran through my head since my emergency room visit when my doctor said things weren’t normal. I was overcome with fear and anxiety in a way I had never experienced before. I couldn’t keep my mind off of the unknown or come to terms with what my future looked like or didn’t look like. I knew I needed to be reminded of who my heavenly Father is. I can lose sight of this quickly when my heart isn’t turned towards Him and I’m not in His Word. Despair and fear can overcome me easily when I am not putting the light of my Father in the front of my mind minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, especially in uncertain circumstances that are beyond my control.

But I serve a Father who is in control, and His scripture reminds me where I find my security. I could have easily given up (sometimes I wanted to) but I stood on the truth that I had read many times and I used the time to draw closer to Him in prayer and read more of the Bible. I am blessed to say my tests came back cancer free and my diagnosis is treatable. Have you gone through something similar? Are you in a trial right now? Will you remind
yourself today and every day in the middle of whatever you are in that your Daddy is far more than you can imagine? He is all you need. Your heavenly Father isn’t like anyone you know here on earth. He has rejoiced over you since the first cell of your body was formed in your mother’s womb. Does anyone else know all He knows about you? Nobody does or ever will.

“But are you curling up in His lap and seeking comfort in a relationship with Him? A relationship that only He can provide as you turn from those things He says will hinder you. Are you turning towards the things in Him that will give you life?”  Do you know His Word? Do you really know Him? Begin today. Open His Word and discover who He is and what that makes you….a child of God. I have listed below just some of the descriptions of God written in His Word. There aren’t enough pages that could encompass all that He is, the Bible is the best place to learn all that He has revealed about His character.

  • He makes us whole. (1 Thess. 5:23)
  • His love is unfailing (John 3:16)
  • He is trustworthy (Numbers 23:19)
  • He fights for us (Deuteronomy 20:4)
  • He is our comforter (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
  • He is our healer (Exodus 15:26)
  • He is light (1 John 1:5)
  • He is peace (Isaiah 26:3)
  • He is hope (Jeremiah 29:11)
  • He is love (1 John 4:7)
  • He is for us (Romans 8:31)
  • He is with us (Isaiah 41:10)
  • He has overcome the world through His Son (John 16:33)
  • He is our source of strength (2 Samuel 22:33)
  • He keeps His promises (2 Peter 3:9)
  • He can do all things (Luke 1:37)
  • He is the beginning and the end (Revelation 22:13)
  • He is our redeemer (Psalm 19:14)
  • He is our restorer (1 Peter 5:10)
  • He is life (Romans 6:23)
  • He is a good father (Isaiah 64:8)
  • He is faithful (1 Cor. 10:13)
  • He is our creator (Genesis 1:1)
  • He does not change (James 1:17)
  • He is spirit (John 4:24)
  • He is our caretaker (Matt. 6:26)
  • He is good (Exodus 33:19)
  • He is a refuge (Psalm 46:1)
  • He is perfect (Psalm 18:30)
  • He is just (Psalm 50:6)
  • He is righteous (Psalm 50:6)
  • He is compassionate (Psalm 116:5)
  • He is a deep well of life (Psalm 36:9)
  • He bears our burdens (Psalm 68:12)
  • He gifts us eternal life (Romans 6:23)
  • He is a shield (Psalm 84:11)
  • He is Lord of Lords, mighty, great, and awesome (Deuteronomy 10:17)
  • He is the God of possible (Jeremiah 32:27)

Challenge: As you read through God’s Word highlight all the times God is described. Then compile a list of what you find. 
What description of God stands out to you the most, and why?

Written by Kari Dickson