God takes on many roles in our lives but for years, the only role I could imagine him in was the role of Friend. It used to bother me when the analogy of God as a father was mentioned. My earthly example wasn’t a good one, so I couldn’t picture him in that position.
Just like my earthly father, I never asked God for anything for myself. I had no problem praying for others, but I wouldn’t ask for anything I wanted. Honestly, I still have issues with that sometimes.
At some point, God started working on my heart, asking me to trust him as a child does their parents. I should say like other people trust their parents. So I asked him for something frivolous, something that definitely wasn’t a need, and He gave it to me. It was a 1968 Barracuda convertible. Wow. If you only knew how impossible it was that I ended up with that car…
Around the same time, my earthly father got cancer for the third time and this time there would be no saving him. God used that to work on his heart too. We started seeing each other more often. He helped me with some of the Barracuda’s restoration. Things were still awkward between us, but this was better than nothing.
Then one day he called out of the blue. He started the conversation talking about cars which seemed to be the only thing we had in common besides looks. Then right in the middle of the conversation he blurted out, “I’ve been a bad father.”
I’m too honest to say he wasn’t a bad father. We talked and it was a time of healing and forgiveness. The long-held burden lifted and when he passed away, my grief looked a lot different than it would have had we not had that conversation. I also have never had any problem seeing God as my father since then. In his provision and protection of Ruth, Boaz paints a picture of God the Father. That’s what brought this story to mind.
Maybe you have a hard time picturing God as a father like I did. But has He protected you? Has He provided for you? If you are a Christian still living on this earth, then the answer is no doubt yes. He’s already presented himself as God the Father but maybe you just haven’t recognized it yet. I implore you to do so. It will shed new light on who God is to you and draw you closer to him.
I wrote a study guide on the book of Ruth. You can find the link here-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FN6B7YP1 This blog series will follow along with each section of the book. I plan to post every Monday. If you’d like a reminder, please sign up to receive notification.
Next post- https://andreaboyd11.com/2025/11/10/can-good-come-from-the-death-of-a-loved-one-ruth-210-14/
Andrea Boyd 
I see lots of myself in your writings. I never ask anything for myself in my prayers, other than guidance. I guess I feel like it’s selfish. I pray for everyone else but not my needs. I’m not sure it’s an issue of knowing Him as my Father. I just never have. And I’ve always prayed, even when I wasn’t living a truly Christian life. But He has always provided all my needs and a good many of my wants. I do always remember to thank him for all He does for me and my family. I know He’s always there and that makes me feel secure and loved. I wish I’d gotten to know you better earlier in life. I think we would have been great friends, which is something I never had much.
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I appreciate the friendship we have shared. I know a lot of people won’t relate to this post- especially if they had a good relationship with their father. But some will.
God is a great provider. I’ve told about how He provided for my needs in earlier posts. He provided some wants I didn’t ask for too. But He knew I had an injured heart and that’s why He took me down the journey of asking for something as big as a car so He could provide and let me see him in a different light than before.
The car also gave a reason for Daddy and I to draw closer so we could have that conversation and a better relationship afterward. It’s amazing what God uses to bring about his purpose!
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