Abba Father

I love the fact that the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray.  He gave them what we call the Lord’s Prayer but might be more accurately called the Model Prayer.  I love what Max Lucado said in his book, The Great House of God, “Wherever you are.  Whatever time it is.  Whether it is in the office on Thursday or at soccer practice on Saturday, you are only a decision away from the presence of your Father.  You need never leave the house of God. You don’t need to change your zip code or your neighborhood; all you need to change is your perception.”  

The prayer we find in Matthew 6 is a great outline for our time of prayer.  It starts with “Our Father,” which is a word about our personal relationship.  Every single prayer of Jesus began with Father with one exception…the prayer from the cross where He said, “My God, My God…”. The word “Father” is Abba which is the equivalent of our Daddy.  

Stop what you are doing, spend a little time focusing your thoughts and simply say, “Abba!”  I love what Paul said, “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.  And by him, we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’”  It is a great privilege to call our Creator, “Abba.”

Father!  Intimacy, relationship, discipline, love, gifts, you fill in the blank, but Jesus siad, when you pray, pray like this, “Our Father in Heaven.”  Not just the Father of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, not just the Father of David or Elijah, not just the Father of the disciples, but through Jesus He is our Father…Abba…Daddy!

Spend time simply resting in that, thanking Him for what He did to make that possible, and learn to approach Him as a child might approach his or her daddy and just talk to Him!