The Gift of a Loving Father

Have you ever noticed how a child comes to a parent without fear? A child doesn’t rehearse the request. They don’t wonder, “Will I be rejected?” They simply ask because they trust the heart of the one they’re asking. That kind of trust is built on a relationship. It’s built on knowing that the parent wants what is good.

That is the picture Lord Jesus gives us when He says, “Which of you, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?” (Matthew 7:9-10). Our Lord paints a picture we all understand. He shows us the heart of our Heavenly Father: a loving Father who does not deceive or harm His children, but gives fish; what feeds, what restores, what helps us grow.

That’s why it’s so important to understand this truth: sickness does not come from God. God does not send illness to punish His children. That is not the character of our Father. A loving parent does not place suffering in a child's hands and call it a gift.

Sickness is part of a fallen world. It flows from a broken creation and a fallen human condition. Yet God does not stand far off from our wounds, but comes near with compassion. He enters our pain with healing grace. He meets human brokenness with love that restores.

If you want to know how God feels about sickness, look at what Jesus did when He saw it. Throughout the Gospels, when Jesus encounters sickness, He never explains it away. He never blesses it. He heals it. Jesus moves toward people with mercy and power to reveal the Father’s heart.

Some of you may be carrying pain in your body or concern for someone you love. Don’t let the enemy whisper that God is behind your suffering. That thought steals peace and weakens faith. God is not working against you; He is working for you. He is the One who places healing in motion—sometimes instantly, sometimes gradually, always lovingly.

So when you pray, pray as a child comes to a loving father. Come with trust. Come with confidence. You are not begging a distant God to change His mind. You are trusting a Father who delights in giving good gifts to His children.