YOU SHALL CALL ME FATHER

Jeremiah 3:19
19 “But I said, ‘How I would 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.’ (WEB)

If you look for it, you will read the story of a Father who longs to be in relationship with His children throughout the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is filled with longings of a brokenhearted Father who wants to be in relationship with those He created. As a friend of mine, James Jordan says... 'The Bible is simply the story of a Father who lost His kids in the garden and He wants them back!'


In today's Scripture reading, God shares His heart for Israel by telling them how He desires to treat them like His children. I especially like the NIV version of Jeremiah 3:19 which says... “I myself said, “‘How gladly would I treat you like my children and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.’ I thought you would call me ‘Father’ and not turn away from following me. (NIV)

The words... I thought you would call me ‘Father’ reveals the hope that God has that we would call Him our Father. It is no surprise that Jesus taught us to pray starting with the declaration 'Our Father'. While the word 'Creator' describes what God does, the word 'Father' describes who He is.

What started in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 1:27) thousands of years ago will one day climax in eternity when God shall wipe away the tears in our eyes. (Revelation 21:4) He has always been Father and He will always be Father. The question that every human heart has to answer is... Will we say yes to Jesus and become His child?

John 1:12-13
12 But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name: 13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (WEB)