God Our Father

father |ˈfäT͟Hər| noun 1 a man in relation to his natural child or children • a man who gives care and protection to someone or something • (the Father) (in Christian belief) the first person of the Trinity; God.

This week, some of my closest girlfriends gave me the sweetest gift of a little statue of an angel praying to remind me of how they have been praying for me since my dad passed away a little over a week ago. Friends have brought flowers and written cards, emails, and texts—and I have felt so incredibly loved.

I usually try to be so strong during times like these—for myself, my friends, and my family. I pray to God and I let Him know what is on my heart, but I usually don’t want to share my struggles with others because I don’t want to burden them. But God has been showing me the power and strength we gain from true friendships.

I kept telling different friends that I didn’t need anything and didn’t need them to come over—but then they would just show up, and their presence of just being there has been exactly what I’ve needed. Each word of encouragement that I have received in the past two weeks has meant the world to me.

We’ve been reading the books of Ephesians and Philippians for our Equipped by Faith Bible Reading Plan, and though I’ve read these books a hundred times, something stood out to me that I never noticed before. Paul, the author of these books, refers to God as our Heavenly Father over and over saying, “one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:6). I’ve always known God is our Father, but I have a much greater appreciation for that title now that my earthly father is gone.

God is our Father—this means we can come to Him, boldly, with everything that we need. Every desire. Every wish. Every want. Every hurt. Every pain. He wants to know it and desires for us to come to Him. He is a good and loving Father. Our comforter and our restorer.

Whenever I would feel anxious or afraid, before my father died, I began to pray a verse in Philippians Chapter 4 over myself. I would read it in every single translation to pull out everything I could from it. Here’s the New Living Translation Version…

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-8

Are any of you dealing with fear or anxiety today? Instead of worrying…pray. Talk to God about what you need, and start making a list of things He has already done for you to remind you, and give you faith, that He won’t ever let you down. Then, with a heart full of gratitude, you’ll begin to experience His peace—this peace—that somehow comforts us in a way we can never understand. This peace, that guards our hearts and our minds from any worry or fear. This is God’s promise to us.

Grief is unlike anything I can explain with words. But so is God’s peace. It’s unexplainable. But it is real. And He does promise to give it to us, as we lean and depend on Him.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” Psalm 34:18

It means so much to me to know that people are thinking of me and praying for me. Know that I am continuing to pray and thank God for all of you.

XO-

Sabrina