The Father Who Finds Us
Leon SteenkampFather’s Day is wonderfully complicated.
For some, it’s a day of braais, hugs and gratitude for the unique love of a present Dad.
For others, it cracks open an ache they work hard to keep shut – memories of a father who was distant, harsh, absent, even violent.
The reality of never having had a father – the gaping hole seeming extra deep and painful.Â
Still, others feel caught in between: thankful for a good father, yet aware of his humanity and limitations.
Wherever you find yourself on that spectrum, the Bible insists on a liberating truth: the Father your heart longs for has been reaching out to you all along. His name is Abba, Father – the God who adopts sons and daughters by grace.
The wound we carry
“My father and mother may abandon me, but the LORD will take care of me.” Psalm 27:10 (GNT)
Psychologists call it the ‘Father wound’ – the lingering impact of abandonment, neglect, abuse or emotional vacancy. It can surface as insecurity, perfectionism, anger or the quiet conviction that you are always one mistake away from losing unconditional love and acceptance.
Scripture doesn’t deny that wound; it names it. Yet it also points beyond it, refusing to let a human deficit have the final word.
“The LORD will take care of me.” Before any earthly dad said “yes” or “no” to you, God’s heart was already inclined toward you.
The Father Who Finds Us Â
“Some, however, did receive him and believed in him; so he gave them the right to become God’s children.” – John 1:12 (GNT)
Salvation is more than pardon; it is adoption.
In a legal sense, adoption transfers a person from one family to another with full rights of inheritance. In the gospel sense, God does even more: He transfers us from death to life, from strangers to heirs, and then shares His Spirit so that we can cry out, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15).
Picture the courtroom:
Justification – the Judge slams the gavel: “Not guilty.”
Adoption – the same Judge steps down, wraps His arms around you, signs the papers with His Son’s blood, and says, “Come home. You bear My name now.”
Nothing about your past – no sin, no scar – trumps the new name written over you: child of God.
What it means to have God as a Father
God is not a stitched-together collage of every dad you’ve ever known. He is the perfection of fatherhood:
| Fatherly Need | How God Meets It | Key Text |
|---|---|---|
| Belonging | He knows you completely and calls you by name. | Psalm 139:1-4 |
| Security | His love is steadfast; nothing can separate you from it. | Romans 8:38-39 |
| Guidance | He disciplines and directs for your good, not His ego. | Hebrews 12:5-10 |
| Provision | He clothes the lilies and feeds the sparrows- how much more you. | Matthew 6:26-32 |
| Legacy | You are a co-heir with Christ, destined for glory. | Romans 8:17 |
When this reality sinks in, prayer shifts from performance to conversation. Suffering, though still painful, is never pointless. The mission becomes a family business: the Father sends His children to invite more orphans home.
Practising Our Adoption
1. Name the pain
Tell Him where your earthly dad failed or where you, as a father, fear you’re failing. Lament is a doorway to intimacy.
2. Receive the embrace
Every day, preach the gospel to yourself: “I am not an orphan; I am adopted by grace.”
Memorise Romans 8:15-17 or Galatians 4:4-7 and pray aloud.
3. Forgive the imperfect Father
Forgiveness is not excusing; it is freeing. In Christ, you have the resources to cancel debts others cannot repay.
4. Pass the blessing forward
Whether biologically, spiritually, or through mentorship, reflect the Father’s heart. Our world longs for men and women who embody God’s steady, sacrificial love.
Jesus promised, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18). He kept that promise on the cross, in the resurrection, and by pouring out His Spirit right up to this very Father’s Day.
So, celebrate the good dads. Mourn the losses. But lift your eyes higher still, to the throne of grace where a Father waits with arms open wide, whispering: “You are My beloved child; in you I am well pleased.”
In that embrace, the wound is tended, the ache begins to heal and worship rises where loneliness once lived.
Happy Father’s Day—to every earthly dad doing his imperfect best and to every son or daughter discovering the perfect Father your heart has needed all along.
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