This morning, I found myself thinking about my two oldest sons. They’re both in their early twenties, navigating life while discovering the path God has in front of them. Each has their own passions, dreams, and sense of calling. And while their journeys have looked very difficult, they both desire to honor and serve the Lord.
As I prayed for them, Psalm 127:3-5 came to mind, “3 Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. 4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth. 5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.”
King Solomon compares children to arrows in the hand of a warrior. This has always been an interesting picture for me because arrows are never meant to stay in the quiver. Arrows are meant to be released and free to fly.
That’s a pretty good picture of parenting. An arrow doesn’t start its life ready to fly. It goes through a process of being shaped, straightened, tested, prepared, and aimed before it can be released. It takes time, patience, and intentionality so that the arrow will fly true when released.
Parenting works the same way; God gives us children for a season to help shape, straighten, test, and prepare them for the day they’ll step into adulthood and fly true on their own.
These days, my quiver is in various stages of release. Two arrows have already left and are finding their place in this world. Two more are nearing release, preparing to fly into adulthood. And two are still being shaped, guided, and encouraged during these precious years where Dad is still important to them.
As I’ve released my children into this world, I’ve learned that parenting never ends. My role may change as they grow, but my love will always remain. The influence I once had over them to shape and guide them now takes on a different form; encouragement, support, and consistent prayer. Even when they become adults, they’re still my children, and I’m still their dad.
When they hurt, I hurt. When they struggle, I struggle alongside them. When they find success and joy, I celebrate with them.
I wonder: Is this the way our Heavenly Father feels about us?
When I look at what Scripture says about God’s love for His children, I get a glimpse of His heart.
God’s love is far greater and more perfect than anything I could ever give to my own children.
It’s through the experience of being a parent that I begin, in part, to understand His love for us.
And that brings me to a question; if we can love our children this deeply, even with all our limitations and imperfections, how much more does our Heavenly Father love His children?
HE REJOICES IN OUR JOY.
In Zephaniah 3:17 it says, “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing”.
God doesn’t watch us from a distance. He takes delight in His children. He doesn’t wait until we get everything right before showing His love towards us or finding joy in us.
Just as I take joy in my own children, even while they’re still growing and learning, God takes delight in us.
HE HAS COMPASSION WHEN WE HURT.
Psalm 103:13-14 says, “As a father has compassion on his children so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him, for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.”
I love this passage because it reminds me that God knows us better than anyone else. He knows our strengths and weaknesses, our struggles, and our hurts. He knows we’re not perfect and understands our limitations. Yet he STILL has compassion on us.
As a dad, when my children are hurting, I don’t ignore it. I want to help. I want to fix what’s wrong and making things better for them. I can’t always do that, but the desire is there. God has that same compassion for us, only His is PERFECT. He understands us completely, even when we struggle to understand ourselves.
God doesn’t turn away from us in our weaknesses. He meets us with compassion.
HE NEVER FORGETS US
Isaiah 49:15–16 reminds us, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget I will not forget you. See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands”
As parents, we can get distracted. Life gets busy, and sometimes we miss things or fail to be there the way our children need us to be. I know there have been times when I’ve fallen short as a dad. But God is different. He doesn’t forget His children, and He never stops caring for them.
That brings me back to the question I’ve been wrestling with: if a flawed earthly father like me can love his children so deeply, how much more does our perfect Heavenly Father love His children?
That’s not a question that can be answered with a simple verbal response. Instead, it was a question that was answered through the cross.
When God gave His only Son for the redemption of humanity, He demonstrated the depth of His love once and for all. Jesus stepped into our mess and, through the cross, showed us a love beyond words.
God knows us completely, sees every struggle, and never forgets us. His love doesn’t depend on where we are in life or how well we’re doing. The cross reminds us just how far His love reaches and what He was willing to give to bring us back to Himself.
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