Abba

"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!". The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God" Romans 8:15-16

"And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba Father!" Galatians 4:6 

Having been adopted into the family of God, one of our greatest privileges is getting to call the cosmic, transcendent God of all creation our very own Father. Just think about it for a second.

The One who has existed for all eternity; who fashioned and formed every square inch of this world from beginning to end. The One who does great and mighty things of which no human mind can even begin to fathom. The One who determines borders and boundaries, sets stars in their place, and fills up the lungs of every living thing. The Governor and Commander of all of heaven and earth. This great and marvelous God determined before the foundation of the world that you would be his very own child. This is perhaps one of the most profound and essential foundations of the Gospel.

God adopts humans. God adopted you! Along with every bit of your depravity, rebellion, failure, and imperfection. Knowing full well the weakness of your devotion and the smallness of Your faith. Knowing how often you would straddle the line between friendship with the world and obedience to God. Knowing how often you would forsake the fountain of life and drink from broken cisterns. He chose you to belong to Him forever. To bear His name and to receive a glorious inheritance. Not because He was duty-bound to choose you but because His affection for you is so high, long, deep, and wide that you cannot even begin to get your head around it! Not because of any merit on your part but simply by faith in Christ, you have been given the honor of relating to the Father as Christ Himself does. You can now cry out to your Abba Father at any given moment in any given circumstance and be heard, loved, and received by Him just as Christ Himself was.

Throughout Scripture, several names of God describe different aspects of His nature. One of the most notable names of God that describes how He desires to relate to His people is the name "Abba." Abba was an Aramaic word that means Father, used to express a specific kind of affection; a child-like dependence and trust. It signifies the sort of intimacy and closeness that can only exist between a parent and a child. Jesus addressed God as "Abba, Father" in one of His most gut-wrenchingly vulnerable moments, praying in the Garden of Gethsemane before He was to be crucified (Mark 14:26-37). In the moment of His most profound sorrow and distress, facing the agony of the cross, Jesus lifted His eyes, poured out His soul without holding back, and ultimately submitted to the Father's will with His whole heart. He was able to do that because He fully trusted in His Father's will and His Father's heart towards Him.

Many of us understand on an intellectual level that the Bible communicates that we are God's children. Still, there is a vast difference between knowing the information as fact and experiencing the depths of that reality in our daily lives. Just imagine what your life would look like if you fully trusted and depended on God as Your Father in every single area of your life. Imagine if you trusted Him even in the face of an unknown future and unanswered questions. Imagine if you allowed His affection for you to define everything about how you view yourself and the world around you.

Take a moment of stillness to consider the immensity of your Father's affection for you. A love so great as to demonstrate itself in the offering of Christ's body and blood even while you were still a sinner. Consider any area in which He might be inviting you to know, experience, and trust Him as Abba.