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Question 4: How does God relate to us?

Question 4: How does God relate to us?
Answer: God relates to us as a loving Father and faithful husband, desiring a deep, covenant relationship with us.

Listen: Hosea 2

“In that day,” declares the LORD, “you will call me ‘my husband’; you will no longer call me ‘my master.’” Hosea 2:16

God reveals the intimate nature of his relationship with his people through the prophet Hosea. God uses marriage—the deepest human covenant relationship—as an illustration. He doesn’t want to be understood as a distant master but as a loving, committed husband. This imagery reveals God’s desire for an intimate relationship with his people, his faithful commitment despite unfaithfulness, and his relentless love that pursues people even when they stray. God also reveals himself as Father, demonstrating that his people are adopted children who can call him “Abba, Father”—not strangers or mere servants (Romans 8:14-16).

Human marriages and parent-child relationships are marred by sin. We may struggle to think of God as Father or husband due to the ungodly examples we have encountered. God, however, is what no human can ever be. Understanding that God relates to us through covenant relationships like marriage and family changes everything about how we approach him. We don’t come to him like frightened servants to a demanding master but as beloved children to a caring Father or a cherished bride to a faithful husband. These intimate relationships reveal that God’s commitment to us is permanent, and his love is unconditional. He promises never to leave or forsake us, even when we struggle or fail (Deuteronomy 31:6).

TODAY: Consider how you understand your relationship with God. Do you think of him as a distant master or a loving Father and faithful husband? Thank him for his covenant love, and ask him to help you trust his faithful commitment to you. Choose to relate to him today as a beloved child rather than a fearful servant. Learn more about God and his covenant relationships in our We Believe document HERE.