Re: We often see God as like our human Father

  Most of us tend to assume that God isn't going to help us.  We pray and ask Him to but fully expect His answer to be "no, deal with it yourself" or something along those lines.  We usually come up with all kinds of "reasons" the Lord won't help us, such as we've sinned about this or that, or we haven't done a perfect job of handling our money, or haven't been the perfect wife, father, whatever. I know I used to do this a lot and still get occasionally catch myself having these kind of thoughts. 

For something like this what we have to do is stop ourselves when we find ourselves having those kind of thoughts and go to our bibles and find out what the truth is about God and how He treats us.  One of my favorite psalms immediately comes to mind for this but I'll only post parts of it:

Psalm 103:6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

Psalm 103:8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

Psalm 103:10-13 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;

Psalm 130:3-4 If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.

Psalm 30:5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

God loves us so much more then even our earthly parents can that it's not something we can truly comprehend.  At least I know I can't.  I vividly remember when my first child, Michelle, was born.  I honestly thought I was going to burst from all the love that filled me for her!  I was astounded at the depth and magnitude of the love I felt for that tiny baby.  When I got pregnant a few months later with my second child, Michael, I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to love another child because I didn't see how it would be possible for me to hold anymore love in my heart then I already did.  Of course when he was born I felt that same incredible surge of overwhelming love for him too, and I felt that same love for each of other children when they were born.  That love I felt so many years ago, the depth and magnitude of it, for each one of my five children has never ebbed even a tiny bit.  Even now that they are grown and have children of their own, I still love them every bit as much as I did the first time I held them in my arms.  And you know what? When each of my grandchildren was born a new and just as deep love for each of them bloomed in my heart.  It brings tears to my eyes even now.  I can't imagine feeling a love greater then the love I feel for my children and grandchildren and yet I know beyond any doubt that the Lord loves me, them, you and all of us even greater then I or any mother can love her child!

We've already talked about this verse which speaks to this:

Isaiah 49:15-16 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;

How about this one:

Matthew 7:11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

And then there's this one:

Psalm 56:8 Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll— are they not in your record?

Jeremiah 31:34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

God knows us so intimately, so well that while he casts our sins as far away from Him as the east is from the west, and refuses to remember them, but He will never forget our suffering for He says He will avenge us for every bit we've ever suffered. 

Nor do we have to worry about what kind of mood He's in when we pray, like we had to think about with our parents.  Our God doesn't change, He isn't going to treat us one way today and a different way tomorrow.  Nor will he give us His second best, but only His very best is good enough for us!

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

I could go on and on but I'm sure everyone gets the idea.  Ok, lol, one last one:

2 Corinthians 1:20-22 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

So when you start feeling that the Lord isn't going to help you, open your bible, ask Him to show you the Truth and He will!