God the Father
It is good to be reminded that God is our Father. However, there is a problem with using this as an encouraging phrase (dare I say this about an inspired term?): God as our Father acts in quite a different way than our earthly fathers do. Of course, we know this in that our earthly fathers are sinful and our heavenly Father is not (Matt 7:7-11). But there is also a difference in purpose and a difference in aim.
The purpose of the typical father is to rear his children up in preparation to live on their own, without the father. Christian fathers do this through God's Word, imparting godly wisdom and exemplifying Christian ways of living. The aim, or goal, is to foster an increasing amount of independence within the child. We've all met young adults who haven't reached this level of maturity and independence, and we may think to ourselves, “there's someone who really needs to get away from his parents.” (Although, we probably also know parents who feel responsible for nurturing this type of unhealthy reliance.)
As I was studying various passages of Scripture, I was reminded that this is not the purpose and goal of our heavenly Father. He is not preparing us for the day when we will be without him. Rather, he is doing quite the opposite. He is preparing us for the day when we'll be home with Him forever (2 Cor 5). He is training us for the day when we'll see him face to face and know him completely (1 Cor 13). He is grooming us to be part of the wonderful inheritance for his Son (Ephesians 1:18). By the Son's powerful word, God the Father is fostering in us more dependency, not less (2 Cor 1:9).
God the Father is an excellent analogy for how God loves us. Only, let us allow God to define his fatherly purpose and aim on His terms through His Word. Otherwise, we may gradually begin to act like we're prepared for life without Him.