Scriptures that highlight this attribute or quality:
Psalm 103:13
The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
2 Corinthians 6:18
And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
1 John 3:1
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
Romans 8:15-17
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.[a] Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
Article Excerpt: Because we have been adopted into God’s family, we are privileged to call him “Abba, Father.” The word abba is an Aramaic word, one that was used by Jesus himself and echoed in the earliest Christian community, which spoke Aramaic (a language close to Hebrew). Abba was a word used by children for their father, something like “daddy” or “papa” today. But it was also a term of respect used by adult children for their fathers. Thus the word abba richly expresses our relationship with God. We are dependent upon him like little children. We are free to run to him as children run to their daddies. Yet we also offer God the highest respect and adult love. theologyofwork.org
Prayer of Praise:
God, today I praise you for being my Father. As Father, You provide, protect, and love. You meet my needs, keep me safe, and nurture my heart. You *lavish* love on me, Your child. I can find comfort, guidance, and compassion in You. You have adopted me into Your family, making me an heir to Your kingdom. I am a child of the King! You are my Abba Father, personal, intimate, and relational. I can run to You and experience Your affection and love. That love encourages me, fights for me, and allows me to flourish with the dreams You’ve planted in my heart. And You, God, are a perfect Father. My earthly father may be harsh, react in anger, become impatient, neglect my needs, make me feel like I'm not good enough…but not You. You are the model of 1 Cor. 13 love…You always protect, always persevere; You never fail or give up. I don’t deserve Your fatherly love, I can’t earn it. But through grace, You give it. I praise You for being my Father. Amen.