“And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Galatians 4:6, NKJV.
Jesus called God “Father” more than anyone else in the Bible when he walked the earth. He would tell us to do the same when we pray. Then, He went even deeper by referring to Him as “Abba” (Mark 14:36). Abba expresses a more intimate, closer, and affectionate description of the Father. It is similar to when we say “papa” or “dad.”
When Jesus gave His life for us, anyone who receives Him now receives the Spirit of Adoption, and we can now know God just as He does. Jesus wants you to know the Father as He does. He is not just God. He is not just Father.
He is Papa. He is Abba to you now.
When I call God Abba, that alone causes me to work beyond any unworthiness, feeling unqualified, and all others. Calling Him Papa alone helps me deal with the hurt and disappointments of my own natural father, who wasn’t there. It may seem far from you being able to be so close to the Father, yet that is what God has intended through Christ. Jesus removed the gap of sin for you and restored you to sonship.
God wants you to relate to Him in a deeper way. He wants you to treat Him closer. He doesn’t just want to be God. He doesn’t just want to be Creator, the Almighty, to you. When you need Him the most, He wants to be Papa. When you are trying your best to be a great man, or when you’ve messed up, He wants to be Abba. He wants to be Abba — denoting closeness, transparency, love, and mercy. The One you can lean on, and there’s nothing He won’t do for you. The One Who tells you who you are. The One who’s always proud of you. He is Abba now.
Prayer: Father, I am no longer in bondage, and I don’t have to be afraid. You are not only God. You are Abba. You are Papa to me now. There is nothing in the way. I am Your beloved son. I have received Your Spirit of Adoption, and I can call You Papa. Help me to move beyond anything that my natural father did or didn’t do. Help me begin to walk with You in this way. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Study: Galatians 4:7
As a child of the foster system this resonated heavily. I have always struggled with the absence of my father and the void it left feeling unwanted and unloved. This journey of finding my faith and building a relationship with God has helped fill that void for me. My only regret is how long it has taken to get to him. To find out this entire time I was not fatherless but had denied, disbelieved, and blatantly ignored him. Fortunately I am making peace with this through his words and since opening my heart to him, I have had an overwhelming experience of lightness on my soul and it’s exactly how I would expect a father to take away those weights I’ve carried for so long. God is GREAT!