A Perfect Father

You have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.

Romans 8:15-16

THE ARAMAIC WORD ABBA—used here and in only two other places in Scripture—is the intimately tender term of endearment that a boy would use for his father, his Daddy. What a scandal that anyone would use such a tender word to refer to God, but that is exactly what Jesus did in the garden of Gethsemane when He was facing the agony of the cross. And because Jesus endured the cross, our adoption has been made possible, and we can now join our Savior in crying out, “Daddy!” in the scary and broken world in which we find ourselves.

It can be difficult for a grown man to admit that he is, at the same time, a scared, needy child. Growing up, when you were angry, maybe you were sent to your room and told not to come out until you had a smile on your face. When you were sad, maybe you were told to cheer up or snap out of it. So maybe now, as an adult, you’ve come to expect that you’re on your own emotionally and that if you were honest about your emotions, you would risk being abandoned or left alone in your pain.

If you experienced emotional distance growing up, you may have come to expect that same feeling of distance and neglect from God. But God is eager to heal us and restore us, and He invites us to crawl into His lap. He is strong and loving, and He wants you to come to Him to find the strength and comfort you need.

BOTTOM LINE

No matter what wounds and insecurities you carry with you from your childhood, God desires to “re-father” you and heal you in those areas.

Moment of Strength: Psalm 68:5