God as Father: Finding His Faithfulness When Earthly Fathers Fail

Throughout my childhood and early adulthood, I counted on my dad to be my rock. He was a pastor who consistently studied the Bible, introduced me to Jesus, fueled my desire to serve the Lord, and imparted unto me a love for the Scriptures. I was secure in his love and care.

But in my thirties, my relationship with my dad shifted. After decades of suffering with chronic illness, the medication that was meant to help him turned into an addiction. My father’s drug abuse changed him––and it also shifted something inside of me, as his behavior produced a distance that caused me to question his goodness. It also brought a question to the surface of my heart: Is God a good father to me?

It was difficult to admit, but because it seemed my dad had reversed course and failed, I wondered if perhaps God could do the same. I projected the feelings I had toward my earthly father onto my heavenly one. And so, I struggled with trusting that the Lord was a good Father—one who was faithful, steadfast, and sure.

Knowing that I needed to realign my mind to the truth, I went to God in prayer. I expressed openly and honestly my struggle with trusting him as my good Father, and I sensed him inviting me on a journey to know him more intimately.

As I walked the path to rediscovering God as my loving Father, one of the ways my heart was renewed was by beholding God’s fatherhood through the lives of biblical saints. Two lives, in particular, impacted me immensely.

God was a faithful Father to Joseph

I wept through the Old Testament account of Joseph’s life as I related to the heartbreak he suffered (see Gen. 37; 39-45). Joseph’s flesh-and-blood brothers turned their backs on him, selling him into slavery. When it looked as though his life was on an upward climb when he became a leader in Potiphar’s house, he was falsely accused and sent to prison––where he had an extended stay and experienced what seemed like silence from the Lord.

I imagine that Joseph questioned God’s hand on his life as he endured the long days and nights of sitting in a prison cell. I asked the same question when the years of my dad’s addiction plowed down hopes, dreams, and expectations. Where are you, Lord? I often wondered.

The words of Genesis 39:2 shine a bright (and holy) light into the darkness of Joseph’s story: “The LORD was with Joseph.” Amid the betrayal, false accusations, and loneliness, the Lord was still with him. And the Lord was also with Joseph when he was set free from prison, made ruler in Egypt, and reunited with his family.

Beholding the Lord’s faithfulness throughout Joseph’s horrific circumstances helped me see how—though forsaken by all others—he was never forsaken by his heavenly Father. This example of God showing himself as a faithful Father to Joseph spurred my heart to trust him as a steadfast Father to me as well.

God was a loving Father to the bleeding woman

As I continued to study God’s character in Scripture, the familiar story of the bleeding woman became completely new again. I found myself wondering if she shared some of the pain, isolation, and loss I experienced during my dad’s struggle with addiction.

After twelve years of living with an incurable disease, she gathered the courage to defy the rules of uncleanness by stepping out in faith and reaching for the robe of Jesus. Immediately, she was rewarded with healing (see Luke 8:43-48).

Jesus met her gaze and spoke beautiful words: “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace” (Luke 8:48 ESV).

Jesus—the Son of God—God the Father, and the Holy Spirit are one in the Trinity. And because they are One, when we behold the acts of Jesus, we are seeing the Father’s actions as well (John 14:9-10). When Christ imparted healing––both physical and spiritual––to this woman, she became acceptable to God the Father and was referred to as his “daughter.” This term of endearment is one offered to all who reach out in faith and accept the spiritual healing Jesus offers through salvation.

As I read her story afresh, I heard Jesus whisper the same sweet word over me: “Daughter.” I am a child of the king of heaven and my Father is—and will always be—good to me. He is the same for you too.

Trusting God is a good Father

When our hearts are hurting and swimming in betrayal, it’s difficult to move past the heartbreak and into the knowledge of what is true, pure, and lovely (Philippians 4:8). I wish I could say that my struggle to trust God as my good Father immediately disappeared, but that would be a lie. What I did—and what you can do—is focus on the truth. Our “heavenly Father is perfect”(Matt. 5:48). He is unchangeable and it is impossible for him to lie (Heb. 6:17-18).

The good Father who fulfilled his promises to Joseph and welcomed the bleeding woman into his family—making her his daughter—is the same Father who will remain faithful, merciful, and kind to his children today. We can rely on, take comfort in, and run to the arms of the One True Father who will never leave, betray, or abandon us (Matt. 28:20; Heb. 13:5b).

Rosann Coulon is the author of the book 40 Days to God, My Father: Finding Shelter in the Heart of God. She has contributed articles to The Gospel Coalition, The Daily Grace Co., Core Christianity, and other publications. She is the founder of Leaving a Well Ministries whose mission is to share biblical hope with hurting hearts by providing Christ-centered resources. Visit Rosann at www.leavingawell.com to receive free inspirational content. You can also connect with her at instagram.com/rosann_coulon.