Abba, Father

PAUSE

As I enter prayer now, I pause to be still; to breathe slowly, to recenter my scattered senses upon the presence of God.

(pause)

I pray Psalm 46:7 and 10, repeating the words slowly, several times:

“The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. . . . He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’ ”

REFLECT

Bible: Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane, recorded in Mark 14:36, is just twenty-one words long. Today, we are going to think about how it starts:

“Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Comment and book passage: In His darkest hour, Jesus addresses Himself to “Abba, Father.”

The power of prayer depends almost entirely upon our apprehension of who it is with whom we speak. When we are scared and hurting, when life feels chaotic and out of control, it is more important than ever to anchor ourselves in the absolute and eternal truth that we are dearly loved and deeply held by the most powerful being in the universe. Let this be the great non-negotiable in our lives, the platform for all our other thoughts, and the plumbline for our prayers.

ASK

Ask myself: Do the difficult things I’m experiencing ever make me question the Father’s love? How much does He actually care about my predicament? Is He trustworthy?

Ask the Lord: A prayer of Søren Kierkegaard: “Father in heaven, when the thought of you wakes in my heart, let it not wake like a frightened bird that flies about in dismay, but like a child waking from its sleep with a heavenly smile.”

YIELD

A prayer of trust from Psalm 131:

My heart is not proud, LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have calmed and quietened myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and for evermore.

Amen.