Wednesday, July 8, 2026
God: The Loving Father & Creator
When people think of God they usually picture a giant man with white hair and a thunderbolt in his fist. They imagine him as the wrathful God of the Old Testament forcing everyone to submit to his will or face the consequences. This image, however, is closer to the Greek god, Zeus, than what we actually read in Scripture.
God is first described in Genesis 1. It’s here that we learn he is a loving father who is eternally in relationship with the Son and the Spirit. He invites us to share in this love. Jesus tells us that the Father loved the Son before the creation of the world.
John 17:24
24 Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!
Next we see the Father as loving Creator. Creators do not despise the work of their hands; they love them and want the best for them. With this in mind, we can begin to see what God as Father really means.
Psalm 103:13-14
13 The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. 14 For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.
The Father loves us. He wants the best for us but just like an earthly father disciplines his children because he loves them, so the Father disciplines his people whom he loves.
Deuteronomy 8:5
Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good.
This is the image of God as Father is the one the ancient Israelites would have most closely identified with.
. They knew him through the pages of the Torah as the One who chose them as his special people.
He appeared to Abram while he was still a pagan living in a pagan land. He called him to leave his comfortable life and begin an adventure that would eventually bless the world through his family line.
Genesis 12:1-2
The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.
He rescued them from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 1-14) and then promised to send his Messiah through the line of David (2 Samuel 7 and Psalm 89). They didn’t have the complete picture of a triune God, but there were glimpses of the characteristics of the Son and the Spirit mingled with their belief in God as Father. (While true, I’m not sure someone new would understand this at all)
In the next section we will continue to look at how the Father is uniquely different from the Son and the Spirit.
Questions:
Do you tend to view God as a loving Father or as a powerful Greek god?
What are some ideas of the Father you have that need to be adjusted to more accurately view the Father as seen in Scripture.
Next Steps:
Read Psalm 103. Make a list of the attributes of God you see in that Psalm.
Read John 17. How does Jesus view the Father?
Prayer:
Pray the words of Psalm 121:
1 I look up to the mountains—
does my help come from there?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!
3 He will not let you stumble;
the one who watches over you will not slumber.
4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.
5 The Lord himself watches over you!
The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
6 The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon at night.
7 The Lord keeps you from all harm
and watches over your life.
8 The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.
This article is part of the Spiritual Domain of Your Journey. Your Journey is a framework to help you learn, live, and share the ways Jesus invites us to follow him in every area of our life.
Wherever you are on your adventure with Jesus, there's always a next step you can take toward building your relationship with God. You can explore yours by diving into Your Journey in the More tab right here on the app.