Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will hold me close. Psalm 27:10
She had sixteen brothers and sisters, yet growing up, Lydia felt profoundly alone.
Lydia was the youngest of seventeen children but remembers feeling unknown and unseen. She shares, “Being surrounded by people all the time but feeling utterly and completely unknown was … one of the hardest things for me.” She learned to rely only on herself. Later, that experience shaped what she expected from God: a Father who was distant, angry, and uninterested.
Maybe calling God “Father” doesn’t bring you comfort either. Perhaps it brings back the feeling of trying to get someone’s attention, or deciding it was safer not to ask for something. You can hear that God loves you and still approach Him as though you’re an interruption.
The Bible describes God’s fatherly care this way: “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close” (Psalm 27:10). Lydia is learning to relate to God as a loving Father. When old wounds leave her feeling like she’s on her own, spending time with God helps her return to what she’s come to know of His love.
God doesn’t ask us to pretend our parents never hurt us. He invites us to discover that His care isn’t limited in any way by the care we’ve known. For Lydia, spending time with her loving Father God is a daily practice. She reminds herself, “He is with me. He is for me.” and “I want to know His healing over every wound.”¹
Perhaps today your prayer can be, “God, I keep expecting You to be distant. Help me know You as You really are, even where I’m still hurting.” God welcomes that prayer. You can bring your struggle to the Father who promises to hold you close.
