SCRIPTURE FOCUS
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6
PRAYER FOCUS - Everlasting Father
The term “father” can provoke a variety of emotional responses depending upon an individual’s personal experience. Many have called this generation a “fatherless generation” because fathers have been either physically absent or emotionally distant in so many families. Today we will be looking at Jesus as the Everlasting Father.
In Christian theology, the Trinity is the expression of One God who can be seen in three Persons. Admittedly, this is a mystery and a paradox. Similarly, to give the name of Everlasting Father to Jesus, who is the Son in the Trinity, is mysterious and paradoxical. However, in the Old Testament, the LORD was seldomly thought of as a Father. When Jesus came to the earth, He revealed God as Father in a way that rattled their culture and angered the Jewish leaders! If Jesus was Everlasting, that means that He has always existed from eternity past and that He will always exist throughout eternity future. They were startled that a man would make this claim. That said, the name Everlasting Father places Jesus as part of the Trinity and His continuous existence from “everlasting to everlasting” (Psalm 41:13). Our God is a good, good Father; He is the source of our life and provision and One who loves deeply loves us.
RESPONSE
A great challenge can arise from our own experience with a father. Some may have had no father in their lives; some may have had an earthly father that was abusive, physically absent, or emotionally distant. For others, our natural father was kind and caring. Whatever our experience with an earthly father has been, our God is the kind, Everlasting Father for which our hearts have always yearned. We can lean into His embrace and receive all the comfort and affirmation that our soul needs. Today, rest in the Everlasting Father’s arms and allow Him to speak to your heart. He is not absent or distant. He is always with you.
Ask the question: “What did my earthly father miss that my Everlasting Father wants to give me?” Jesus is here to give us everything He knows we need in a father. Open your heart for Him to do that special work.