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Or who is there among you who, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, who will give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! Matthew 7:9–11 WEB.

Many people I talk with have trouble trusting or drawing near to our Heavenly Father. Often, it is because their earthly fathers mistreated, abused, abandoned, or made them feel worthless. As they grew up, they built a wall between themselves and their fathers to protect themselves. They don't trust their dads.

Fortunately, I had the world's greatest Dad. He has passed on, but my brothers and I had those words inscribed on his tombstone: "The World's Greatest Dad." Along with an engraving of a hammer and a handsaw, for he was a lifelong carpenter.

My Dad had a hard life. By the time he was twelve years old, he was already on his own. Dad stayed in a share cropper's barn at night and worked the fields for him during the day. Later, he learned carpentry, got married, and had three sons. I was the youngest. Mom left before my first birthday, and Dad struggled to raise three kids on his own. Yet, even after we were grown, he would check on each of his sons daily. If one of us was building a porch, Dad was there to help. If I was changing a transmission, then he wanted to be under the car with me.

Dad was always there and wanted only the best for us. He was a man of his word, and if he promised you something, he would do it, good or bad. He always taught us we could do anything we set our minds to, whether it was building a house or rebuilding an engine. He would take the time to show you how if you asked him. And if he had never done it, we would figure it out together. We built houses, rebuilt boat motors, and replaced clutch packs in motorcycles. Anything was possible with enough work.

When I came to know our Heavenly Father, I found He and Dad had a lot in common. For me, it was a pretty easy transition. If my earthly Dad told me he would do something, he would do it. If I asked him for help, he would help. Would my Heavenly Father do less?

Our Heavenly Father is like the best of our Dads with none of the bad. He is always there for us, and He only wants the best for us all the time. The Lord will help us, teach us, and give us the resources to fulfill our dreams. If we don't yet have one, He will help us find our purpose. He rejoices in our victories and loves to see us overcome the obstacles in our lives, for we learn from them. Our Heavenly Father loves us and only wants the best for His children. You can safely put Your trust in Him.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for being there when I need You. I pray that You show Yourself strong in my life. Please strengthen me and help me overcome the challenges that I face. Draw my heart to You and break down the walls between us. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Note: The Creation Photographer theme of the week is "All Things Praiseworthy" and is wide open for interpretation! Until we get our groups area going, we invite you to share your photos on the website home page. As always, if you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network.