“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!’” (Romans
8:15 ESV) I have heard that Abba is a familiar term, most closely translated
‘daddy.’ That is significant to me. Whereas ‘father’ denotes the
role and position in the family, ‘daddy’ brings images of hugs, playfulness,
tears kissed away and stories read. This has greatly influenced my view
of God.
One day I was visiting a friend. Her husband is
from Israel and their home was greatly influenced by that culture, including
the language. Late in the afternoon, she instructed her son pick up his toys,
because “Abba’s coming home.” His eyes got big and his smile even
bigger. He began to pick up his toys and put them away. All the
while he sang a made up little tune. “Abba’s coming home! Abba’s coming
home!” Every few minutes he checked back to see if his Abba was here
yet. The face of this precocious little boy was always expressive.
Yet that day, I witnessed an instant transformation from playful little boy to
pure joy and expectation.
We are to come to God as little children. “…
Truly I say to you, unless you repent (change, turn about) and become like
little children [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving], you can never enter the
kingdom of heaven [at all].” (Matthew 18:3 AMP) That trust and
love, as seen in our little friend, is the attitude we should have towards our
heavenly Father; our Abba.
Are you expecting Abba to show up? In a church
service or other meeting of believers do you expect Him, or do you just come to
see and hear people. We have this promise. “For
wherever two or three are gathered (drawn together as My
followers) in (into) My name, there I
Am in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:30 AMP) But, do we
truly believe and expect His Presence? If the answer is ‘yes,’ Great! If
not, why not?
What happens when daddy comes home? I have watched
my husband throw my son in the air and tumble on the floor. Little girls
invite daddy to tea parties and ask him, “Am I pretty?” Little children
love to giggle and sit in daddy’s lap for stories and secrets. And how
often has daddy not even made it through the door, before he is presented with
a little one’s most recent achievement? This may be an unrecognizable
drawing, but to daddy it is always wonderful.
Is this what your personal times with God look
like? Do you expect to hear from Him? Do you plan to have a
conversation with Him during these times? Do you giggle and share
secrets? God wishes to tell you his secrets. “The secret [of the
sweet, satisfying companionship] of the Lord have they who fear (revere and
worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them
its [deep, inner] meaning”. (Psalm 25:14 AMP) My husband and I
would ask Jon, “Want to know a secret?” To his positive response we would
reply, “I love you!” Soon he would ask us the same question and give us
the same reply. God longs show us His love in so many different
ways. He also longs to hear His children express their love and
thankfulness.
Sometimes
the encounter with daddy is not as playful. There are times that
correction must take place. But correction restores relationship. “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather
than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of
righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews
12:11 ESV) Trust gets renewed. Daddy cares enough to make
sure I grow up right.
Hurts and
fears can be brought to daddy. He will kiss away the boo boos. And, what
can calm one’s fears better than the strong arms of daddy holding you
tight? All is right with the world.
Safety, security, fun, friend, protection, bigger than
life…all can be found in daddy. Your times can include these, all wrapped
into one combined image that flashes across your mind when you hear the words,
‘Daddy’s coming!’ Spend your days with the constant anticipation that your
‘Daddy is coming! Your Abba is coming!’
My son and I were packing up to leave when our little
friend’s Abba walked through the door. The exuberance with which that
little boy ran and jumped into the arms of his Abba was wonderful to see.
I looked to his Abba’s face and found the smile was even larger. I left
my friend’s home that afternoon with a new appreciation of my heavenly
Abba. Jon and I went directly home to be sure we were there in time to
greet his daddy, who would soon be coming home from work. The scene was
replayed in our home as in many other homes that evening.
Let this scene play in your daily life. God will
greet you with that same exuberance, and His heart will melt when He looks into
your expectant eyes and sees the love and anticipation there. Abba's coming
home!
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