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.
Note: “The anointing” here refers to the Holy Spirit. Who indwells each believer. Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. These verses don’t mean we should stop learning from preachers. However, our Maker also desires to teach us intimately & personally. Do you have spiritual issues that need direction, instruction, or guidance from the Holy Spirit? Write your questions down. Then trust Him to reveal the answers in His timing. 5.God nurtures us through encouragement. Unlike some authority figures. God never tries to motivate us through shame, criticism, or conditional acceptance. Instead, He directs our attention to who we are in Christ. Our positive traits & abilities, & our unique role in His plan. What is one of the primary ways the Lord encourages us is Romans 15:4? For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. What does Peter say should be our motivation for growing in the faith in 1 Peter 2:1-3? Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. According to 1 Peter, what causes us to mature spiritually? 6.God nurtures us through loving discipline. One final way God parents us is by correcting us when we are deliberately sinning. He may allow us to experience hardship, failure, or disappointment. Or He may simply allow us to get “caught.” Read Hebrews 12:4-11, then answer the following questions: Why should believers not lose heart when God disciplines them vv.5-6? And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. What purpose does God have for disciplining His children v. 10? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. What does discipline ultimately yield v. 11? Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Do you think you are in a season of divine discipline? Why or why not? Conclusion: Far from being a distant, uninvolved God. Our Creator wants to be intimately connected with our lives. Allow Him to demonstrate His kindness, care, & correction. Then, watch His Spirit revolutionize your life. Prayer: Father, thank You for caring about the smallest details of my life. Forgive me for trying to live as a believer in my own strength. Teach me to surrender each day to Your Spirit and to learn to trust You as a loving Parent. I pray this in Jesus ’ name. Amen. The altar is now open for business. As the music plays please come. Salvation, join, or just to spend time with the Lord.
As the Bible says in Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. (A promise from the Lord to all of us) Please come now!
