Bible Study Wrap-Up: ‘In My Father’s House: Women Relating to God as Father’
I’m going to admit something to you: when I first felt God leading me to this study, I was hesitant. It seemed a little…basic. I am ashamed to admit this to you now, because God used this study in my life not only to remind me of the great depth that actually comes from a returning to the basics, but also, to humble me and show me that the moment I think something is too “basic” for me is probably the moment I need it most.
Mary Kassian does a beautiful job here winding real life stories of daughters and their experiences with their earthly fathers with deeper truths about the way we perceive God as our Heavenly Father. In recalling several women’s encounters with the more faulty sides of their dads, she was able to show that we often place our earthly expectation onto God, and it limits what we will allow from Him, because of the scars of our own experiences.
A few things that I’ll take from this study when I look back on it:
- Jesus came to reconcile us to the Father. A lot of us seem to focus on the gentler aspects of Christ, without realizing that He is the ultimate reflection of His Father’s nature. God is love, and Christ came to show that to us.
- God gives us a perfect example as parents in how to discipline and guide our children. The idea that it’s God’s kindness that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4) served as a personal challenge for me in the way I deal with my boys.
- God wants us to love Him for who He is, and not just what He does for us. That’s part of the reason that we don’t get the direct “answers” to our prayer wish lists that we sometimes hope for – so that we can get to know God and His nature, His attributes, and find how much more than enough His very person is.
- We can’t ever stop pursuing God. Knowing Him through salvation is only the beginning. We must seek Him daily so that we can discover where He would lead us.
I thoroughly enjoyed this study and would highly recommend it for you and your church group (or even just as a personal study), as well.
