As an only child, Fletcher Lang always saw his “father issues” as one of a kind. “But,” writes Lang, “I’ve discovered my experience is unfortunately familiar for many.” Lang’s parents divorced when he was 5, and his father was absent throughout his life, missing important events like graduations, Lang’s wedding, and the birth of his children. 

When his father died, Lang realized the renewed relationship he longed for would never occur. Yet grieving his father’s death, says Lang, has “driven [him] to a stronger hope in Christ than [he] previously thought possible.” Lang lists three practices that have helped him to wrestle through the grief—mourning, forgiving, and receiving God as Father. 

It’s the last practice—embracing his heavenly Father—that struck me as I read the article. Psalm 68:5 says, “Father of the fatherless . . . is God in his holy habitation.” God is as separate from us as heaven is from earth, distinct from people in both his power and moral goodness. But though God is holy, he moves toward those who grieve, giving comfort through his abiding presence. “Now, looking back at those special events,” writes Lang, “I see the proud Father in the crowd. He has always been with me.”

The good news is that whatever you may be grieving, God offers you his presence too.

Clinging to our Father’s comfort,