“Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust” (Psalm 40:4 ESV). In addition, blessed is the family of the man who makes the Lord his trust. Everyone connected with the man who truly makes the Lord his trust will be blessed by that man’s faithfulness to God.

The characteristics of someone who makes the Lord his trust are named throughout Psalm 40. The man who trusts the Lord waits patiently for the Lord; he acknowledges and praises God; he looks to God for his self-worth and patterns of wisdom; he follows the will of God in his dealings with other people; he asks God to walk with him throughout his life.

Some of us strive to be fathers in this model. Some of us have fathers who, by God’s grace, modeled this sort of integrity as they parented us. Some of us have not known an earthly father who in any way, shape, or form modeled this Christ-like example. May God’s blessing and healing rest with you.

For all of us, the prime example of fatherhood is found in God the Father. He loves us, provides for us, enjoys spending time with us, and listens to us. He delights in calling us by name. 

Do a search of the word father in the New Testament to explore our heavenly Father’s characteristics. Remember that Jesus said of himself that “whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9 ESV). The steadfast and loving characteristics of Jesus are also true of our Father God.