A Prayer for the Fatherless
By Emily Rose Massey
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13, NASB).
For most of my life, I struggled to feel truly loved by my dad, an on-again, off-again recovering alcoholic. Because of that missing piece, I longed to find love. As a result, I constantly sought approval and attention from boys, giving myself away piece by piece- first becoming entangled by pornography, then slowly moving toward sexual encounters beginning at the tender age of twelve and going on until I was about 22 years old- a whole decade of my life.
I hadn’t been to church in years, but shortly after college graduation, I went with my mom and sister one morning. During the worship service, I began to experience this deep conviction that I was living a reckless and selfish life; I had been running away from God. Immediately, I knew I needed to repent and start running toward Him, back into the Father’s arms. At that moment, I realized where I truly belonged. Right there, with hands lifted in worship, and tears streaming down my face, I repented of my pride and rebellion; I told God that I didn’t want to live this life on my own anymore and that I wanted to surrender to His plan.
But only a few short months after this change began in my heart, I received some traumatic news- someone had murdered my father. His lifestyle landed him in the wrong crowd, tragically costing him his life. Although I lost my earthy father, I discovered a Father’s love stronger than anything I’ve ever known. Since that time in my life, God has completely healed, transformed, and shown me His overwhelming love as my Father, who will never leave me. However, the most powerful understanding I received once I started seeking to follow Christ is found in the first chapter of the book of John.
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13, NASB).
What a powerful reminder for us! Jesus died so that we could have unending fellowship with the Father. When you fully embrace Jesus, the Father embraces you. Jesus gave us the privilege of being called God’s child, and He made a way for us to have access to the Father. No matter what you have done, you can never outrun His love. You can stop trying to work to earn His forgiveness; You can fully receive His grace and forgiveness and rest in Christ alone. Nothing can ever separate us from Him, nothing. Even if your earthly father has failed you, abandoned you, or has left this earth what seems way too soon, the Father is waiting for you to come to the end of yourself and find your safety in His arms. We don’t have to work for His love or prove ourselves worthy. You are never too far gone for His reach. He will rescue you and use you for His purpose in the earth. Receive Jesus and the work of the cross and learn to stand in the most important position you will ever hold- a child of God!
Let’s pray:
Heavenly Father,
What a gift to call You my Father because of what Christ has accomplished on the cross for me! I know I do not have to run away from You; You see it all and know I will undoubtedly mess up. That is why You sent Your Son Jesus to earth to live the perfect life for me, to fulfill the law completely for me. His death on the cross paid for my punishment of the curse of the law that I will never be able to uphold. I come boldly to the throne of grace today and receive new mercies that Christ died for me to have. In Christ, I am given the right to be called Your child. I rest in the finished work of the cross and trust that You are healing my wounded heart where my earthly father may have failed, hurt me, or is no longer here. I know that You will never leave me nor forsake me. Thank You for calling me one of Your own. In Christ’s name, I pray, amen.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Viacheslav Peretiatko
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