So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. Matthew 7:11

 

Have you ever felt afraid of God? Much of our fear comes from a lack of understanding of His love.

 

Zali was born into a family of seven children. Her father left when she was young and her mother soon died of AIDS. Zali learned early in life that if she didn’t grab, snatch, or steal, she wouldn’t eat. No one was looking out for her. Years later, Zali became a mother herself. Her desire to love, protect, and care for her child overwhelmed her. She’d never known love like this before.

 

When Zali learned that God’s heart toward us is like that of a parent, selflessly laying down His life in love and care, it brought great healing to her heart. Zali had never understood verses in the Bible talking about the love of a heavenly Father because she had never known a parent’s earthly love.

 

The Bible explains that if we, imperfect and sinful, know how to forgive, treasure, and give good gifts to our children, how much more is God able to love us? The Bible book of Matthew says it this way, “So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him” (Matthew 7:11).

 

Just like Zali, we may not have always had the best examples of loving parents. But the heart-filling love we feel for our own kids gives us a new understanding of a fraction of how much God loves us. He is a perfect Father, the embodiment of love, and He gave His most precious Son, Jesus, so that we can know His perfect love intimately.