Yours, O Lord, are the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might; and it is in your hand to make great and to give strength to all. And now, our God, we give thanks to you and praise your glorious name.[1]
Covenant-keeper, Burden-bearer, Redeemer and Lord
Exodus 6:2-8 NRSV
God also spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name ‘The Lord’ I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they resided as aliens. I have also heard the groaning of the Israelites whom the Egyptians are holding as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. Say therefore to the Israelites, ‘I am the Lord, and I will free you from the burdens of the Egyptians and deliver you from slavery to them. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. You shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has freed you from the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’”
[God says I am] the fountain of being, and blessedness, and infinite perfection. The patriarchs knew this name, but they did not know him in this matter by that which this name signifies. God would now be known by his name Jehovah, that is, (1.) A God performing what he had promised, and so inspiring confidence in his promises. (2.) A God perfecting what he had begun and finishing his own work. In the history of the creation, God is never called Jehovah till the heavens and the earth were finished. When the salvation of the saints is completed in eternal life, then he will be known by his name Jehovah; in the mean time they shall find him, for their strength and support, El-shaddai, a God all-sufficient, a God that is enough and will be so.[2]
“To Be A Christian” Anglican Catechism[3]
Question #37
What does Holy Scripture tell us about the character of God?
God is both loving and holy. God mercifully redeems fallen creation, while righteously opposing all sin and evil. The Lord Jesus Christ is the fullest revelation of God’s holy love.
Question #40
What do you mean when you call God “Father?”
When I call God “Father,” I declare that I was created for relationship with him, that I trust in God as my Protector and Provider, and that I put my hope in God as his child and heir in Christ.
Question #42
Why do you call God the Father “Creator?”
I call God the Father “Creator” because he made all things. He creates and sustains all things through his Word and gives life to all creatures through his Spirit.
A Prayer for the Father’s Love
Gracious Father, I come to you through the saving work of your Son Jesus Christ upon the Cross. Thank you for adopting me as your child through the Holy Spirit. Grant me the grace to know the fullness of your fatherly love, that I may delight in the promises of your eternal kingdom, both now and in the age to come. Amen.[4]
How Deep the Father’s Love for Us
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Corinthians 4.15).
[1] 1 Chronicles 29:11-13 NRSV
[2] Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 103.
[3] To Be A Christian: An Anglican Catechism, 2020, The Anglican Church in North America.
[4] “To Be A Christian” Anglican Catechism, pp. 37-38.
