This post not very well developed but rather a collection of some random thoughts, which I probably will add to later on... I’ve been in discussion with some friends lately and we’ve been really struck by how necessary the revelation of God as our Father is to the body of Christ today. It really is the central revelation of Jesus’ ministry and purpose in coming to the earth. The extravagant expression of love that Christ demonstrated on the cross even points back to the heart of the Father who is longing for a family to spend eternity with. Even above the revelation of Jesus as the bridegroom God, we must understand the revelation of God as our Father.

The “Abba” (Romans 8:15) revelation touches the deepest needs of every human, because it answers the very question about why we were created. We were made to be longed for and enjoyed by our Father. Our lives are broken and unsettled until we know this embrace of our heavenly Father. Human intimacy will never truly satisfy our spirit at the deepest level. Even the revelation of Jesus as the bridegroom God alone will not fully satisfy our spirit. We must know that God our Father enjoys us in our weakness and immaturity.

Who are we as weak and broken humans that we can call God our Father? He is the one who measures the heavens by the span of His hand and created the universe with the breath of His mouth. Not even the angels can call Him Father. How much joy does He have over us, even as we are maturing and growing in love?

When was the last time we read the gospels to discover what God was like? Jesus perfectly declared the Father, and it's in His actions, personality, and emotions that we see what our Father is really like.

Think for a moment about an earthly father and son, where the dad is building a shed in the back yard to house his tools and mower. The five year-old son, seeing his dad working outside, runs outside with his toy hammer and begins to bang on some boards. “Look dad,” he said, smiling. “I’m nailing this for you!” The Father glances over at the plastic toy hammer on a large metal nail, yet with his heart full of joy and gladness at the sound of his son’s voice. “Oh, thank you so much son, you’re being very helpful. I really love you”, he says, smiling from ear to ear.

Did the son actually accomplish something meaningful and was he effective in helping to build the shed? In a practical way, probably not. But the preciousness of the encounter was more about the joy and delight of the father’s heart and smile than it was about the son actually accomplishing something for him. How much more should this be a reflection of the relationship we have with our heavenly Father?

Do you see our heavenly Father this way? When you come to Him to pray or fast or go to church, do you feel bound by the sense of duty or by the “good Christians just do this” attitude?

When you approach the Father, look at Him and speak to Him with an eagerness and expectation of His loving embrace and tender affection and with a heart to plan and provide for our good.

UPDATE: I forgot I posted this to my downloads section a while ago - check out this teaching by Mike Bickle on the Father's heart.