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In Matthew 6, when Jesus teaches us how to pray, he starts the prayer with “Our Father in heaven…” But if you have a complicated relationship with your father, the word “father” might be loaded with context: unmet needs, emotional distance, or painful absence. Your initial idea of a “father” may not be one of love and connection. But Jesus is calling you into a relationship full of help, encouragement, advice, and a place to spend time with your Heavenly Father.
Romans 8:15 NLT says, "So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, 'Abba, (which means) Father.'"
Even if you don’t have an earthly father to call, we all have a father in heaven who is perfectly good, perfectly present, and perfectly in love with you. He isn’t an impersonal, distant, uninvolved stranger. He’s close, deeply connected, and invested in you.
Pray: God, my Father in heaven, thank you that I never have to approach you with fear or uncertainty, but can come to you with confidence because I am your child. Help me to trust your love, rest in your presence, and remember that I am always safe in your hands. Amen.