I’ve always had a hard time with the word “dad.”
When I was very little, I called my own dad, “Jeff, honey.” Because that’s how I heard my mom address him. And while that’s sweet and silly and a phase many preschool children go through, I still preferred to think of my dad as Jeff even as I grew up.
It was helpful for me because the name “dad” came with expectations that my earthly dad often didn’t fill. I could love him better as Jeff.
God also recognizes that the title “dad” holds significance. I’ve been studying the way this word is used in Scripture. I’ve heard, as I’m sure you have, that the term “Abba” can be translated as “daddy.” As I’ve looked deeper into it, however, it seems Abba is used in modern and ancient Jewish culture as a term of intimacy and obedience. So not “daddy,” and not “yes sir,” but a melding of the two ideas.
Abba, trust and submission.
Abba, known and loved.
Abba, cared for and protected.
Abba, comfort and respect.
Abba holds its own special meaning. Jesus is recorded using it only once; we hear Him cry out to His Abba Father in the garden, before His death (Mark 14:36). In that moment Jesus is deeply vulnerable and at the same time willing to do whatever the Father asks of Him. He is safe enough with His Abba to show fear, and yet submissive even to the point of death. Jesus, in His humanity, is showing us how we too can cry out to God.
Romans 8:15 says, “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!’”
Once again we see in Scripture the term Abba used in relation to crying out to God. Adoption holds a special place in my heart. Our daughter, Harper, was adopted last year after spending her first two years of life with us in foster care. She had always called me mama, but it wasn’t until the gavel fell and the judge signed the paperwork that “mama” held its full meaning. Adoption made Harper fully and legally my daughter. She will share in every benefit and inheritance that my biological children have. I have legal authority to make decisions for her best interest. I always loved Harper as my daughter, but adoption turned that love into a covenant, a contract, a legally binding promise.
God has adopted us. We are His daughters, His sons. We share in every benefit and inheritance. We belong to Him. We can cry out to Him. He is our safe place, our Abba. And He is also our ultimate Authority. His ways are for our good and His glory. Our obedience to Him is a reminder of our position as His children. We can trust His authority because we can trust His love. When the two are intertwined in “Abba,” we are serving neither a wishy-washy god nor a bully god.
Abba is the picture of God’s intention for His children from the beginning–uninhibited obedience because of uninhibited intimacy.
Do you love God? Do you find comfort knowing He is always approachable, always safe, always ready to listen to you? Is it easy for you to picture this cozy, intimate Abba relationship? Or do you struggle with the idea? Maybe you also have wounds from your earthly father that have tainted your view of Abba. Cry out to Him. Tell Him your hurts. Ask Him to untangle the way the world and its brokenness have twisted this relationship. Look for the redemption He promises to give. You are loved, daughter. You are loved by the most trustworthy Abba in existence. You belong to Him.
Do you obey God? Is it easy for you to follow orders, color inside the lines, and walk the straight and narrow? Or do you have a rebellious streak (spoiler alert: we all do) that makes it difficult to submit when your way seems better? Or maybe you struggle with the legalistic idea that if you obey well enough God owes you something in return? Obedience is a sticky subject, especially in our modern/western culture of individuality. You have an Abba you can trust. He doesn’t rule you with an iron fist. He’s not waiting for you to slip up so He can slap your fingers with a ruler. He knows you need grace, which is why He is Abba and you are the child. His call for obedience is for your best interests. It’s for a life of abundance. It’s for spiritual growth and Kingdom fruit. Your Abba created the physical and moral law at the foundation of the world; you can trust that your obedience to Him will only ever lead to goodness.
Intimacy and obedience. We thank you, Abba, for both.
Grace and peace.
