And He will be called… Everlasting Father.
Isaiah 9:6
Fatherhood is a daunting job. Being a father to a special-needs child can be downright challenging. In his book, Wrestling An Angel, Greg Lucas shares, “Many times while cleaning and changing Jake, I have been kicked in the face, bitten, smacked, clawed, spit on, or hit with flying objects…. Many evenings, in desperation, I find myself restraining his struggles by wrapping him in my arms against his will and gently whispering, ‘I love you. I love you. I love you–no matter what.’ How do you care for someone who resists your love with violence, who opposes your very presence even when that presence is necessary for his good? How do you keep on loving when the person you are devoted to seems incapable of affection? The only way to make any sense of this kind of relationship is to experience it through the truly unconditional love of the Father.”
When Jesus lived among us, He was fully God and fully man. The title Everlasting Father attests to His divinity and eternal existence. He has no beginning or end. He existed when the universe was created. He and the Father are one. In John 15:9, Jesus tells Philip, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”
Jesus reflected the Father, revealing to humanity a God who loves deeply and personally. He is our Abba, our Daddy, the One we can run to anytime, anywhere. Not just for today. Not even for a lifetime – but forever.
Greg goes on to say, “It is as if a bloody, beaten, crucified Savior wraps me in His arms, subdues me with His affection, and whispers in my ear, ‘I love you. I love you. I love you – no matter what.’”
Thought: “You can never truly enjoy Christmas until you can look up into the Father’s face and tell him you have received his Christmas gift.” – John R. Rice
For further reading:
- Romans 8:15
- Isaiah 64:8
- Matthew 7:11
- Galatians 4:6-7