HeartScripture Logo
HeartScripture

God is the Father

Topic illustration
Jacob Chen Zhe
Jacob Chen ZheMay 23, 2025

God the Father is part of the Trinity. We often call him “Father” in our prayers, but how many of us truly know him as a loving and personal Father—one who shows us kindness, goodness, compassion, provision, and even loving discipline? He delights in blessing us with every good gift we’re ready to receive.

Yet for many, the image of our heavenly Father is clouded by the experience of our earthly father—who may have been absent, harsh, or emotionally distant. We can fall into the trap of imagining God as just a bigger version of a broken human parent. But this false belief can quietly stunt our spiritual growth.

So when we meditate on the verses below, may we look beyond the shadow of our earthly fathers and come to know the true heart of our heavenly Father—who is always ready, always loving, and always eager to bless his children.

His nature

Romans 8:14-17

14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God. 15For you didn’t receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God; 17and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him.

Matthew 6:9-10

9Pray like this: “‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. 10Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

1 John 3:1

1See how great a love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God! For this cause the world doesn’t know us, because it didn’t know him.

2 Corinthians 6:18

18I will be to you a Father. You will be to me sons and daughters,’ says the Lord Almighty.”

Galatians 4:6

6And because you are children, God sent out the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!”

John 1:12-13

12But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name: 13who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Matthew 7:9-11

9Or who is there among you who, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, who will give him a serpent? 11If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Jeremiah 31:20

20Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he a darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I still earnestly remember him. Therefore my heart yearns for him. I will surely have mercy on him,” says the LORD.

Isaiah 64:8

8But now, LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay and you our potter. We all are the work of your hand.

Deuteronomy 1:31

31And in the wilderness where you have seen how that the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went, until you came to this place.”

Deuteronomy 32:9-14

9For the LORD’s portion is his people. Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. 10He found him in a desert land, in the waste howling wilderness. He surrounded him. He cared for him. He kept him as the apple of his eye. 11As an eagle that stirs up her nest, that flutters over her young, he spread abroad his wings, he took them, he bore them on his feathers. 12The LORD alone led him. There was no foreign god with him. 13He made him ride on the high places of the earth. He ate the increase of the field. He caused him to suck honey out of the rock, oil out of the flinty rock; 14butter from the herd, and milk from the flock, with fat of lambs, rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the finest of the wheat. From the blood of the grape, you drank wine.

James 1:17

17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation nor turning shadow.

Revelation 21:7

7He who overcomes, I will give him these things. I will be his God, and he will be my son.

Ephesians 1:4-5

4Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love, 5having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire,

Ephesians 3:14-15

14For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,

Exodus 4:22-23

22You shall tell Pharaoh, ‘The LORD says, Israel is my son, my firstborn, 23and I have said to you, “Let my son go, that he may serve me;” and you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’”

Jeremiah 3:19

19“But I said, ‘How I desire to put you among the children, and give you a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the armies of the nations!’ and I said, ‘You shall call me “My Father”, and shall not turn away from following me.’

Hosea 11:1-4

1“When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. 2They called to them, so they went from them. They sacrificed to the Baals, and burned incense to engraved images. 3Yet I taught Ephraim to walk. I took them by their arms, but they didn’t know that I healed them. 4I drew them with cords of a man, with ties of love; and I was to them like those who lift up the yoke on their necks; and I bent down to him and I fed him.

His will

Psalm 103:8-13

8The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness. 9He will not always accuse; neither will he stay angry forever. 10He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor repaid us for our iniquities. 11For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his loving kindness toward those who fear him. 12As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13Like a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.

Proverbs 3:11-12

11My son, don’t despise the LORD’s discipline, neither be weary of his correction; 12for whom the LORD loves, he corrects, even as a father reproves the son in whom he delights.

1 John 2:15-17

15Don’t love the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the Father’s love isn’t in him. 16For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—isn’t the Father’s, but is the world’s. 17The world is passing away with its lusts, but he who does God’s will remains forever.

Malachi 1:6

6“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, then where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the LORD of Armies to you priests who despise my name. “You say, ‘How have we despised your name?’

1 Peter 1:14-17

14As children of obedience, not conforming yourselves according to your former lusts as in your ignorance, 15but just as he who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all of your behavior, 16because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17If you call on him as Father, who without respect of persons judges according to each man’s work, pass the time of your living as foreigners here in reverent fear,

Matthew 5:43-48

43“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, 45that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. 46For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? 47If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? 48Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Ephesians 5:1-2

1Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children. 2Walk in love, even as Christ also loved us and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling fragrance.

Matthew 5:14-16

14“You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can’t be hidden. 15Neither do you light a lamp and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house. 16Even so, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 6:31-33

31“Therefore don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’ 32For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.

Illustrations

The Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)

11He said, “A certain man had two sons.
12The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of your property.’ So he divided his livelihood between them.
13Not many days after, the younger son gathered all of this together and traveled into a far country. There he wasted his property with riotous living.
14When he had spent all of it, there arose a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in need.
15He went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs.
16He wanted to fill his belly with the pods that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any.
17But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough to spare, and I’m dying with hunger!
18I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.
19I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.”’
20“He arose and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion, and ran, fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.
23Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let’s eat and celebrate;
24for this, my son, was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found.’ Then they began to celebrate.
25“Now his elder son was in the field. As he came near to the house, he heard music and dancing.
26He called one of the servants to him and asked what was going on.
27He said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and healthy.’
28But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and begged him.
29But he answered his father, ‘Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.
30But when this your son came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’
31“He said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.
32But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’”

God disciplines his children (Hebrews 12:5-11)

5You have forgotten the exhortation which reasons with you as with children, “My son, don’t take lightly the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by him;
6for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
7It is for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as with children, for what son is there whom his father doesn’t discipline?
8But if you are without discipline, of which all have been made partakers, then you are illegitimate, and not children.
9Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?
10For they indeed for a few days disciplined us as seemed good to them, but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness.
11All chastening seems for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

‪God as a compassionate Father carried the Israelites (Isaiah 63:7-19)

7I will tell of the loving kindnesses of the LORD and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD has given to us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he has given to them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.
8For he said, “Surely, they are my people, children who will not deal falsely;” so he became their Savior.
9In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and in his pity he redeemed them. He bore them, and carried them all the days of old.
10But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. Therefore he turned and became their enemy, and he himself fought against them.
11Then he remembered the days of old, Moses and his people, saying, “Where is he who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is he who put his Holy Spirit among them?”
12Who caused his glorious arm to be at Moses’ right hand? Who divided the waters before them, to make himself an everlasting name?
13Who led them through the depths, like a horse in the wilderness, so that they didn’t stumble?
14As the livestock that go down into the valley, the LORD’s Spirit caused them to rest. So you led your people to make yourself a glorious name.
15Look down from heaven, and see from the habitation of your holiness and of your glory. Where are your zeal and your mighty acts? The yearning of your heart and your compassion is restrained toward me.
16For you are our Father, though Abraham doesn’t know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us. You, LORD, are our Father. Our Redeemer from everlasting is your name.
17O LORD, why do you make us wander from your ways, and harden our heart from your fear? Return for your servants’ sake, the tribes of your inheritance.
18Your holy people possessed it but a little while. Our adversaries have trodden down your sanctuary.
19We have become like those over whom you never ruled, like those who were not called by your name.

God provided, disciplined and blessed the Israelites as a Father (Deuteronomy 8:2-11)

2You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, to test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.
3He humbled you, allowed you to be hungry, and fed you with manna, which you didn’t know, neither did your fathers know, that he might teach you that man does not live by bread only, but man lives by every word that proceeds out of the LORD’s mouth.
4Your clothing didn’t grow old on you, neither did your foot swell, these forty years.
5You shall consider in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.
6You shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.
7For the LORD your God brings you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of springs, and underground water flowing into valleys and hills;
8a land of wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of olive trees and honey;
9a land in which you shall eat bread without scarcity, you shall not lack anything in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you may dig copper.
10You shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which he has given you.
11Beware lest you forget the LORD your God, in not keeping his commandments, his ordinances, and his statutes, which I command you today;

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, help us become like little children—delighting in your embrace, as a child finds joy in being lifted close to their father's cheek. Remove every lie the enemy has planted that keeps us from receiving your love and truly knowing who you are. Restore the cords of kindness and the ties of love that have been broken. Teach us to walk again as your beloved children.

In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen!

Related Topics

•God is Love

•God is the Provider

•Know God