What does your heart believe about God the Father?
Do you see Him as distant or withdrawn?
Do you see Him as untouchable and unmoved—a Father who isn’t close by and doesn’t really care to be close by?
Do you feel like you aren’t doing enough to please Him? “I should be praying more. I should be fasting. There are horrible things happening around the world right now, and if I don’t do everything I’m supposed to, I’ll get in trouble.”
Especially in times of hardship, like we’re in now, we need to have a believing heart where God the Father is concerned. We don’t compare Him to what we have known, but we take what the Bible says and use it as our path of truth.
Why Is It Easy to Doubt the Lord?
What makes our heart respond with doubt or fear toward God the Father?
“I’m afraid, and I don’t know what to do. Look at all the things going wrong in the world—how can I trust God to save me? How do I know He’s even paying attention to me? The Bible says He’s good, but I feel like I can’t trust His goodness.”
Our relationship with our parents plays a key role in how we see God’s character. Mom and Dad have a direct influence on the level of trust we feel toward Father God. Were our parents distant and uninvolved? Did they fail to provide for us in a timely way? Did they demand perfection and refuse to accept us until we met certain conditions?
As we look back at our childhood, some of us recognize how bad things actually were and start to feel resentful.
“I can’t believe they treated me that way! That was bad, and I was such a young child when it happened.”
“My parents didn’t protect me, and I desperately needed them to protect me.”
“I never felt loved or fully accepted.”
Passing judgment on our parents can also hinder our ability to see God clearly. In any area where we judge them or are bitter toward them, our spirit begins to darken there, and we have a very hard time seeing God the Father the way He longs to be seen.
Do you believe any of the following lies? They contradict the amazing truth of God and how He loves us.
Lie 1: “God Is Not Here for Me.”
If your parents weren’t all that close to you when you were a child, if they were uninvolved and distant, this can easily paint a picture of God that is not correct. If you have a tendency to believe that God isn’t there for you, or that He probably won’t be there when you need Him, you may need to repent for assuming He will treat you the same way your parents did.
Here are three key things the Bible says about God your Father:
Lie 2: “God Never Gives Me What I Need.”
If you have a hard time believing that God will actually help you, if you feel like He isn’t interested in giving you what you need and want, you probably need to repent for comparing God to a parent who was miserly, overly strict, unaffectionate, or frustrating when it came to your hopes and dreams.
Here are four ways the Bible describes God the Father:
Lie 3: “God Is Hard to Please.”
Did your mom and dad demand perfection from you as a child? Did you have to work really hard to keep them happy? That is not what God is like. The Bible lets us know that He is gentle with us and that He understands our weaknesses. If you have a tendency to think that God is hard to please, you may need to repent for projecting the image of your parents onto Him.
Here are three truths about God your Father:
May you come to know how much you are loved, that your Father is good, and that He can be fully trusted.
If this subject is like water in the desert to your heart, Elijah House offers the following resources: