Abba, Father

A few weeks ago we looked at the portrait of ourselves that is hung over the fireplace in our Father’s living room. (http://betsyrichardson.blogspot.com/2010/09/our-fathers-favorite-portrait.html) Hopefully you were able to stand and admire the picture with Him alongside you, allowing Him to point out exactly what He loves best about your portrait. Even more so, hopefully you are able to see God as your father. Father is perhaps the most endearing name our God has. Jesus’ first mention of Him is as his father (Luke 2:49). He could have referred to God by any number of names that describe His character: Creator, Master, Provider, or Healer and so on. Instead, Jesus called Him by a name that is more intimate than any other name He is known by. Later in his teachings, Jesus identifies God as father again (Matt 6:9) but this time a shift from “my father” has taken place to “our father.” In doing so Jesus gives us permission to call upon the God of the Universe as our own personal father. And oh what a father He is! He loves us dearly (John 16:27) and calls us to be His own people (Rom 1:7). His glory is timeless (John 17:5). He is holy (John 17:11) and righteous (John 17:25). He gives us peace (Rom 1:7). And best of all He has adopted us into His family (Rom 8:15)! Now, in the original Greek, “Abba” was used in Rom 8:15. This is a personal name. According to Vine’s Concise Dictionary of Bible Words, “abba is the word framed by the lips of infants and betokens unreasoning trust.” Unreasoning trust? This deep level of trust is obtainable when we know that everything is possible for our Abba, Father (Mark 14:36), that He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing (Eph 1:3) and we are His great pleasure (Eph 1:5). Do allow yourself, Sweet Daughter, to trust in His unfailing love (Ps 13:5) and in the generosity of the gracious favor (Eph 1:7 AMP) of your Father, knowing you will always be the subject of His favorite portrait!