So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
ROMANS 8:1
She came into the prayer chapel reluctantly, her friend at her side and her head lowered, unable to make eye contact with the prayer minister who greeted them. They found a comfortable place to sit, and the prayer minister asked how she could help. Her friend did all the talking. “This is my friend Vicki. We work together and she was just diagnosed with cancer. I’ve been inviting her to come to church with me and I’m so happy she agreed to come today. I told her we have people who will pray for her.” Smiling, the prayer minister turned to Vicki and said, “It’s good to meet you. I’m so sorry for your diagnosis. I’m sure this was devastating news for you. But you have come to the right place. We are honored to pray with you.” Vicki shrugged. “It’s okay. I figured something like this would happen sooner or later.” Looking intently at the friend who brought her, she continued, “You can pray, but I probably brought this on myself. My mom and I stopped going to church years ago, about the time my dad left us. I tried praying, but nothing ever happened, so I stopped.”
The prayer minister said softly, “Tell me more about your dad.” “There’s not much to tell, really,” Vicki said. “He took me hunting once in a while. We played catch.” She paused and reflected. “I always thought he wished I was a boy.” Then she added wistfully, “We really didn’t see him much after he left. He sent money. He and his new wife had kids of their own. I felt like an intruder the few times I went to stay with them, so I stopped going.”
Vicki’s past experiences with her earthly father had distorted her view of her heavenly Father—how she thought He saw her, and how she saw herself. Fathers meet our needs for identity, security, protection, and provision. We learn we are lovable and valuable based on how Dad treats us. If he is not around physically or emotionally, we can get confused about who we are and start believing that we are unworthy of love or that we are a great disappointment to him. If Dad isn’t there when scary things happen, we can feel vulnerable. It becomes very difficult to connect with a heavenly Father who we think is distant, cold, mad at us, punishing us, or can’t be trusted. Through ministry, Vicki was able to forgive her dad and allow the Holy Spirit to heal her wounds and replace the lies she had believed about herself and God with the truth that she is worthy of God’s love and all His blessings and that He will never abandon her.
In the same way, God is not using sickness as a way of punishing you for not praying enough or not going to church enough, or because you are a great disappointment to Him or unworthy of His love. He is not using illness to teach you a lesson, to get even, or to get your attention. It is not in His character to treat you this way. He came to save the world, not to judge it (John 3:17). His compassion and love for you are unlimited, and nothing in all creation, no mistake you could ever make, no power in the sky above or in the earth below, can separate you from His love that is revealed in Christ (Romans 8:38–39). You are His child and He is a perfect Daddy. If you are struggling to accept this truth and you have children of your own, consider this question: Would you strike your own children with a devastating disease and abandon them as a punishment for their mistakes? No, not likely. If we as imperfect people know how to give good gifts to our children, then how much more will our Lord give good gifts to us (Matthew 7:9–11)? There is no condemnation in Him. None.
Heavenly Father, please reveal any lies that I have believed about You. I choose to forgive my earthly father. I’m sorry for agreeing with the lie that You are anything like my earthly dad. By the authority of Jesus and in His name, I renounce the lie that You, Father God, would treat me the same way, that You are cold and distant, that You would abandon me, leave me unprotected, or withhold Your love from me.
Thank You for being the perfect Daddy. I receive the truth that You will never leave me or forsake me, that I am Your precious child, worthy of Your love, security, and protection, and You will provide for all my needs. I choose to bless my earthly father. I release him to You. Please give me an accurate picture of who You are and how You see me. I receive Your truth, Lord. Nothing can separate me from Your love. You delight in me! In You, I am healed and whole. In You, there is no condemnation.