The crowd cheered and wept as they watched the father his wounded son jerkily down the stretch and across the finish line. He tells us what fear is in verse 18: "Those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. A repetitious and destructive chant is working its way into the subconscious minds of our children, " Things are more important than me.

Many children, particularly boys, have had no physical display of affection from their fathers, or no real compassion when they are hurt.When it comes to his love for sinful people, God's got a long fuse, a short memory, a thick skin, and a big heart. It is important for us not to become familiar in His presence, otherwise we can lose the fire of intimacy. Become aware of your need for intimacy with God, embrace your responsibility for intimacy and redefine your self-image before the Lord. God does not promise immediate healing (for me it was a process lasting some twenty years) but He gives peace, strength and unconditional love to enable you to keep going.

In a quite well-known story, the prodigal son demands his inheritance while his father is still alive, then wastes it on partying and loose living.The Father heart of God' has many shocking anecdotes about people whom the author spoke to in the course of his work. In 2 Corinthians 6:18, He says, “And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? When the money runs out, he has to work and takes the lowest possible job for any Jew—feeding a Gentile’s pigs. And then he takes us to a different perspective: that of God, who is portrayed in the Bible as a loving Father.