The Father’s Love

John 16: 23 …whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give it to you.

“I hate my father”, Jay said. His back was bleeding and he had bruises all over from the beating that his drunken father had given him. “You musn’t hate him”, his mother pleaded, “Pray for him. Ask God, your heavenly Father, to change him”. I don’t want to talk to Him either. He is a father and I hate Him too”. “Jay, don’t say that”, Mother said. “God is good and kind”. “No, He is not”, Jay responded, “I will talk to Jesus. He is kind. Jesus will answer my prayers.” Mother had quite a job to clear up Jay’s mind.

There are people who believe as Jay did; that Jesus is their Friend, loving and kind and eager to save, while the Father is stern and quick to punish; and we escape His wrath only because Jesus intercedes for us. The truth is that God the Father loves us as much as His Son does. Jesus said, “My Father and I are one”. He also said, He who has seen Me has seen my Father”. If Jesus is loving, His Father is too. 1 Cor. 5: 19 says that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. In other words, when Jesus came and died for us, the sacrifice was not on Him alone. The Father was active in our salvation and He suffered deeply when His Son suffered. Everybody’s favourite text says that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…”. God so loved…!

So you see, God the Father loves you. Jesus said that we should pray to the Father in His (Jesus’) name. This is not because the Father doesn’t love us, but sin separated us from God. Because of sin, we lost the privilege of approaching God because He is so holy. This pained the heart of the Father and so the Godhead got together and made a plan to fix it. All of Heaven suffered with the pain of that sacrifice. But now, God is pleased to hear us when we come to Him and when we mention the name of His Son whom He gave for our salvation. Don’t be afraid; Go to the Father in the name of Jesus and He will answer your prayer, because the Father loves you so much.

Dear Lord, thank you that you love me and that you gave your Son to save my soul. I now as you have told me to, I come to you in His name, amen.