GOD, OUR PARENT

by Brian Schroeder

Throughout human history, people have tried to find words to describe what God is like. How do you describe a presence that is beyond our understanding, an intangible entity that is also so deeply felt?

That’s where metaphors come in. While we may not be able to describe exactly who God is, we can use imagery and examples to describe what God is like. God’s Spirit descends onto Jesus like a dove (Matthew 3:16). God is a fortress in Psalm 18 and a potter in Isaiah 64. Of course, God may not literally be any of those things, but using metaphors like these helps us describe our indescribable God.

One of the most common metaphors used for God in the Bible and today is that of a parent. The Bible often refers to God as “Father” for a number of cultural reasons, but that does not limit God to one gender—God can also be a Mother and many other things beyond parental descriptions! As we celebrate Mother’s and Father’s Day in May and June, here are some ways the Bible describes God as a parent.