Friday, February 4, 2022
Greetings, My Friends ~
How lovely it is to be able to share with you today on the topic, “Faithful, Abba Father.” I want to begin by considering the following passage of Scripture from Hebrews 10:23:
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He Who promised is faithful.”
God IS faithful! This we know. There are numerous references to God’s faithfulness throughout the Bible. Without His faithfulness, where would we be? When we take time to reflect on the course of our lives, we recall God’s faithfulness to us—despite us! It is so intricately connected to His amazing grace. Because God is faithful, He calls us to be like Him. He calls us to a deeper place in relationship with Him whereby we experience the fullness of knowing our Almighty, Everlasting, and Loving God!
Let us take a moment now to consider the term, “Abba.” I have found this word intriguing and want to delve into its meaning or intent a little more. To better understand this word, we note that there are only three instances in the New Testament where the term “Abba” is used.
Please read Romans 8:15, Mark 14:36, and Galatians 4:6. Only Jesus and the Apostle Paul used this term. But what does it mean?
Consider the following understanding from one of two sources I will use to capture the full meaning:
- “…the term ‘Abba Father’ is not one that is just to exclaim in praise or recognition, such as with heavenly Father or Father God. Abba Father, as conveyed through Jesus and Paul, reflects the knowledge of knowing that God knows us better than we know ourselves and that He established paths for us before we took our first steps as humans. When you state ‘Abba Father’ in prayer or hear it referenced in a sermon, you should envision a Father who knows your greatest strengths, your greatest weaknesses, and knows your beginning and end: but instead of forcing His will on you, He allows you to meet Him in your own way, with intimacy that can only be felt between the Creator and the created.” 1
The second source maintains the following meaning or understanding:
- Familial intimacy; endearment, intimacy, and close relationship, on the one hand, and obedience on the other hand; “Abba is not just a feeling word, but also a discipleship word;” and “…praying Abba means, “Father, I will obey you.” 2
So, what we are saying is that when we call God our Abba Father, we are addressing our God, with Whom we have a close, intimate, and deeply personal relationship (as Jesus does with the Father); and we recognize His authority and choose to obey Him. The fruit of our personal relationship is one that transcends the relationship of a father we have on earth. While our earthly relationships with our fathers can be rich with love, affection, protection, and so many other wonderful attributes, Abba Father is so much greater.
Our heavenly Father will never fail us. Our heavenly Father is faithful, dependable, and trustworthy. Some earthly fathers create problems that we must overcome throughout life. Such is the case with abused and neglected boys and girls that evolve into wounded adults. The love of Abba Father would (will) never comprise us in that way. Abba Father is forever and eternally faithful. For this reason, “…we hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He Who promised is faithful.”
If you are carrying wounds in your heart today, I pray the abundant love of God, as Faithful Abba Father, will heal and restore you. All things, no matter how deep the wounds, are possible with God!!! I pray you will know, receive, and walk in the love, care, protection, healing, grace, and faithfulness of our God, Who loves us beyond our deepest understanding and greatest joy.
Please remember that this world is definitely a much better place because you are in it!
Until next time, My Friend…
Selah