Our Nurturing Father

Our Nurturing Father Proverbs 5:21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings. What do you imagine our heavenly Father does each day? I will tell you for sure. He is on duty 24/7-365 days a year. Never resting. Always watching & caring for His. Perhaps create, reign, control, or judge comes to mind. Most people probably wouldn’t add the verb nurture to their list. But they should. Nurture, as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary , means “to supply with nourishment; to educate; or to further the development of.” Scripture reveals a God who is a tender Parent. Gently nudging us towards maturity in Christ . Let’s look at some of the ways the Father Nurtures believers.

1.God nurtures us by comforting us when we are troubled. We serve a God who comforts the depressed. He gives supernatural peace to those who feel troubled 2 Corinthians 7:6 Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down,comforted us by the coming of Titus; How does worldly peace differ from what Jesus offers John 14:27? Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. What is one practical way believers can experience God’s comfort Ps. 119:50? This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me. If you have a special need for supernatural comfort or peace in your life. Simply stop & ask God to provide it. 2.God nurtures us through His tender care. Often we think of the Lord as having the qualities of a good father. Did you know He also cares for us as tenderly as a mother Isa. 49:15? Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.

Jesus demonstrated a similar attitude towards the hurting people of His day Matthew 9:36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

How does it make you feel to know that God has compassion on you James 5:11? Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. In what areas of your life do you especially need God’s compassion & mercy? Some people believe in God, but see Him as distant and uninvolved with humanity. How does Matthew 10:28-31 disprove this idea? And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

3.God nurtures us by providing for our needs. Throughout Scripture, our Father displayed His ability. His desire to meet the needs of His people. How did God care for the Israelites in the wilderness in Nehemiah 9:15 And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them. Nehemiah 9:21 Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not. What He did for them. He will do for you. Psalms 78:24? And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. What did Jesus promise that the Father will supply if believers seek God first according to Matthew 6:30-33 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Think about the challenges you will face today. How can you seek first the kingdom of God & His righteousness? What does God promise those who wait on Him in Isaiah 40:29-31? He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Remember, waiting on God isn’t passive. It includes seeking Him, worshipping Him, & searching Scripture for revelation. 4.God nurtures us through personal instruction. Several verses in the New Testament indicate that the Lord Himself desires to teach every believer. What is one function of the Holy Spirit according to John 14:26? But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name,he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. What did God teach the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 4:9? But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. Why did John say the believers didn’t need to rely on a teacher in 1John 2:27? But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.