Abba

It is essential for us to understand that the central theme of Jesus’ personal life was His own growing intimacy, trust, and love of His Abba. The felt experience of His Abba’s presence was handed over in the final foolishness of love (at Calvary).
Jesus’ voluntary laying down of His life was the greatest single act of unwavering trust in His Abba, which wins us eternal life. It was the first time He felt abandoned by His Abba. We’d do good to remember that the next time we want to abandon prayer, Scripture reading, meditation, and silent time when our lives become dry and desolate. Even the great saints experienced times when it seemed as if God had abandoned them.

There’s no evidence that Jesus ever lost trust in His Abba while on the Cross. Theologian Pierre Benoit, who has been praying over the Gospel of Luke for many years, believes God spoke the following to Jesus while hanging on the Cross:

“…Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come! For see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of pruning the vines has come, and the song of the dove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs and the vines, in bloom, giving forth fragrance. Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come! O my dove in the clefts of the rock, in the secret recesses of the cliff. Let me see you, let me hear your voice. For your voice is sweet, and you are lovely” (Song of Songs 2:10-14 – NAB).

Then upon hearing the voice of His Abba, Jesus responds, “It is finished. I’m coming home!”
As followers of Christ our primary identity is not that of mother, father, physician, teacher, writer, evangelist, pastor, prophet etc. Our primary identity is we are Abbas precious children, and that’s how He relates to us. This revelation profoundly affects how we pray, deeply influences how we relate to our brothers and sisters, and affects our thoughts toward our brokenness and ourselves.

Jesus began His prayers addressing God as “Father.” Can we allow God to love us just as we are? Can we forgive others who have hurt us, just as God has forgiven us for all our sins? Are we having difficulty forgiving ourselves for past sins? Let’s ask Daddy to help us with that. I ask for the faith to trust that God would bring to completion the goals and dreams in our lives planted there by Him.

Romans 8:15-17 (The Message)

15-17This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!

You’re more real than the ground I’m standing on
You’re more real than the wind in my lungs
You’re thoughts deﬁne me, you’re inside me
You’re my reality
Abba, I belong to you
You’re closer than the skin on my bones
You’re closer than the song on my tongue