Happy Father’s Day to a Good Good Father

I know what you’re thinking. “We’re probably going to sing Good Good Father at church this weekend for Father’s Day.” Of course, we are! Father’s Day was the obvious inspiration for the song’s writers, Pat Barrett and Anthony Brown, so we’ve got to do it!

I’m just kidding.

Although we actually will be singing Good Good Father this weekend in Resonate (and I’m sure a lot of other churches will be doing the same) we’re not just singing it because it’s Father’s Day; but because the words are true.

Pat Barrett said that his understanding of the relationship between God the Father and God the Son is what inspired him to write this song. When reading through the Gospel Books, it’s obvious that Jesus and the Father are close. Jesus didn’t refer to the Father as “the Father” or “Sovereign Most High,” but rather “My Father.” He invites us to do the same (Luke 11:1-4).

I meditated on this invitation as I was preparing the songs for this weekend. Being able to call God, “our Father,” is nothing to take lightly. He is the Creator of All Things, Orchestrator of All Life, Sovereign Most High, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is worthy of all glory, honor, praise and adoration, and yet He wants us to call Him, “Father?” Why? Do we call him “our Father” out of obligation? No, we have to trust Him with our whole lives.

God wants to be in relationship with us. He wants to laugh with us, cry with us, dream with us and hope with us. He knows everything about us and wants us to know Him (Acts 17:22-28). We can learn about who He is by through reading Scripture, praying, and by communing with the Church, among other activities. It’ll take an eternity for us finite beings to fully know an infinite Being, and I believe that’s intentional. God wants to walk with us every step and every day of our lives from now into eternity. In doing so, we get to know Him more, which builds our trust in Him.

Jesus is our example. He knows the Father and trusted Him with His whole life (Philippians 2:5-11). Jesus knew that God was with Him, whether He was in the temple or courtroom. Do we have the same confidence? How do we respond when we don’t get the job we want/need or find out that the cancer has spread? Do we trust Him with our lives, or only when things are good?

Trust is an essential element to any relationship. When you’re playing on a sports team, you have to trust in your teammates commitment to do whatever it takes for a win. When you’re in a romantic relationship, you have to trust in your partner’s commitment to you whether you’re around or not. History builds trust. Your positive and negative experiences with a given person will influence the amount of trust that you place in them. The same applies with our relationship with God. Our experiences with Him in our daily live influence our perception of who He is and the trust we place in Him. However, unlike people, God is constant. Though we may not understand why things happen, Scripture affirms that God is always working for our good (Romans 8:28). The Bible is filled with stories of how He has used the good, bad and ugly for good. I’ve seen this power in my own life as well.

The songs being sung this weekend are meant to remind us that God is trustworthy. We’ll be reminded of why we should trust Him through singing about who He is and about how He has worked for our good through sending His Son to redeem us. My prayer is that in being reminded through these songs, we are able to truly sing, “You’re a good good Father,” without reservation and with full hearts. This world may be chaotic and our lives upside down, but we can trust Him because He is good.