READ: PSALM 10:14; JOHN 1:12; ROMANS 8:14-23; HEBREWS 4:14-16; JAMES 1:5

What do marshmallows and missing dads have to do with each other? In one study in the 1970s, researchers asked a group of preschoolers if they wanted one marshmallow right then or two marshmallows a few minutes later. Some kids snatched one marshmallow right away, and others waited so they could have two. As they grew up, the kids who waited for two marshmallows generally made better life choices than those who ate one right away. And researchers found a pattern: children who ate their marshmallows right away—and later made poorer decisions in life—very often had a more unstable home life, and many did not have a dad at home.

If you don’t have a dad at home, you may be thinking, “I make wise decisions all the time, thank you very much.” I know. I get it. That study irritates me too, because I grew up without a dad, and I’d like to think of myself as wise. But the scary truth is, as an adult, I might make wiser, stronger choices if I’d had a dad at home when I was a kid.

But the good news is, God is faithful, and He wants to be our Father. Because of Jesus’s death and resurrection, we can have a restored relationship with God, and that means we have full access to our heavenly Father’s love and wisdom.

In the Bible, lots of people didn’t have an earthly father, such as Esther and Joash. A cousin raised Esther, and God chose her to become queen of a pagan nation and save her people from slaughter. An aunt raised Joash, and God raised him to power as the youngest king of Judah ever, even enabling Joash to throw off the yoke of a tyrant. While Esther and Joash may have lacked an earthly father’s guidance, God worked through them in situations that required His extraordinary wisdom. You can read their stories in the book of Esther and in 2 Chronicles 22–24.

While having a father on earth can be a tremendous blessing, having a heavenly Father is an even better one. Through Jesus, we can enjoy the love and guidance of a Father whose wisdom is available to all who ask...even to those who prefer their marshmallows now. • Holland Webb

• Why does everyone—whether they have an earthly father or not—need Jesus in order to make truly wise decisions? (Proverbs 2:6; Romans 3:10-24)

• Even though earthly fathers are imperfect, every believer in Jesus will always have a perfect heavenly Father. Does it comfort you to think of God as your Father? Why or why not?

A father to the fatherless…is God in his holy dwelling. Psalm 68:5 (NIV)