Black Man Theology

The bible says God adopts us into his family through Jesus Christ. In Ephesians 1:4 (NLT) the Apostle Paul says:

“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.”

When I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I was adopted into God’s family. My father became the Creator of the universe. Older and so much wiser, I see now God has always been there for me. Through Jesus Christ, I met my eternal father–the one who created me. He knew me before my mother and father even conceived me. My calling and purpose became clear to me when I married my wife and was blessed with a father-in-law. He was connected to God and through our divine connection, God spoke to me as He did Moses.

We need earthly fathers–a male figure physically and spiritually present in our everyday lives. Jesus had an earthly father, but He also revealed God as His father. We need God the Father and physical fathers in the earth. It takes both to fulfill God’s mission and purpose in the earth.

Another example of a father figure is a mentor–someone that will assume the responsibilities of teaching, raising, nurturing a younger person who is not his/her biological child. God will send us mentors to show His fatherhood towards us.

In the bible, there are great men not raised by their biological fathers. For example, Samuel was raised and mentored by Eli (a priest). Elisha left his family and followed Elijah. Jesus, whose biological father was God, was raised by Joseph.

I know God can, will and does use fatherless people. I also believe the destruction of fathers/son dynamics hinders the progression of God’s mission in the earth. Hypothetically speaking, if my father was connected to God and raised me, I believe I could have discovered my purpose sooner. Maybe life could have been different for me. Maybe I would not have struggled as much as I did…

Let’s pause right here. Take a moment to think about your biological parents. 

If your father or mother were not in your life as you believe they should be, maybe their only purpose was to conceive you. My advice would be not to dwell on them being absent. Love is not genetic–it is learned. Just because the DNA match does not mean love is there. This may sound harsh but reflect on that thought for a moment.

Consider you were born for the purposes of being raised and loved by someone else. Once you discover that your true parent is God, your expectations of your earthly parent(s) can and will be lowered. They are merely stewards on this earth. Raising you is a job that they may didn’t have the qualifications for. Believe me, God will burden someone to love you because He loves you. This is the revelation!

If you are experiencing Father Hunger, can I pray for you? If I can, read below:

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for your love and affection. I pray that you would send mentors and father figures into the lives of those who are suffering from father hunger. Jesus, I ask that you place a burden on the hearts of men of God to mentor and be father figures to the fatherless in the faith and those who don’t know You also. God, fill us and keep us as we wait. Heal us and open our eyes to see who really wants to help us. We trust Your will to be done. Thank You for always being so mindful and thoughtful of us. It is in Your son, Jesus’s name, we pray. Amen.