Day Twenty-Four

This week we are reflecting on songs that speak to some of the names by which we know God.

Last fall I had the opportunity to write the curriculum for a college class on World Religions. Having never taught the class before, it was a huge learning opportunity for me. For 8 weeks I studied each of the world’s major religions in depth and discovered much about the way God is viewed by cultures around the globe.

One thing that struck me as I studied and wrote was the fact that in so many of the world’s major religions, God (or whatever represents the divine in that particular faith) is essentially unknowable in this life. The sense of distance between humanity and the divine is palpable, and at times it broke my heart.

As I pondered this experience that is reality for millions upon millions of people, it made me appreciate more the intimate way we come to know God through Jesus Christ. And that intimacy is represented in a beautiful way in the name of God we’re sitting with today:

Abba.

Abba, to those who speak Aramaic, is what “Dada” might be to those who speak English—a simple name derived from the first sounds a baby learns to make. For a baby just learning to relate to the parents who lovingly care for it, “Dada” and “Mama” become terms of endearment. So it is notable that in the New Testament this is a name that we hear being used in prayer to God by Jesus (Mark 14:36), speaking powerfully to his own sense of intimacy with the Father. What is remarkable is that it’s also a name that we are given for prayer, birthed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit when we come into the family of God:

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.”—Romans 8:14-17 (NRSV)

Paul uses the powerful imagery of adoption in Romans 8 to describe the relationship we have with God when we put our faith in Jesus. The language is even more striking when you consider what adoption meant in the Roman Empire during the time when Paul wrote this letter. As one Roman Catholic writer puts it:

“In ancient Rome, adoption had a powerful meaning. When a child was born biologically, the parents had the option of disowning the child for a variety of reasons. The relationship, therefore, was not necessarily desired by the parent, nor permanent.

Not so, however, if a child was adopted. In Rome, adopting a child meant:

1) That child was freely chosen by the parents, desired by the parents.
2) That child would be a permanent part of the family; parents couldn’t disown a child they adopted.

An adopted child received a new identity. Any prior commitments, responsibilities and debts were erased. New rights and responsibilities were taken on. Also, in ancient Rome, the concept of inheritance was part of life, not something that began at death. Being adopted made someone an heir to their father, joint-sharers in all his possessions and fully united to him.”—Ellen Mady

An adopted child in the Roman Empire received a new identity, and we who are adopted by God as sons and daughters also receive a new identity: beloved children of God. We are freely chosen, desired and loved by the one whose very essence is love. It’s the promise John speaks of in the very beginning of his gospel:

“But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.”—John 1:12-13 (NRSV)

As those “born of God,” we are invited into intimate fellowship with him. And, as Paul points out in Romans 8, that intimate fellowship is given a language: Abba. We are able to commune with God as beloved children, praying to our Father with trust that his love for us knows no bounds, and his desire to be with us is also without measure. That’s what we learn at the cross and the empty tomb—they demonstrate to us how far God is willing to go in order that we might be restored to the intimacy we were created for.

What can often be the case, though, is that we settle for less than that.

When that happens, when we simply “go through the motions” in our relationship with God, far from that level of intimacy he desires…what has happened? So often what’s happened is that we have lost sight of our own identity as beloved sons and daughters. We reduce our relationship with God to a transactional, distant, faint connection that seems more employer/employee than Father/child. When we find ourselves in that place…we need a fresh touch of the Spirit in our lives, testifying once again to our spirit that we are his children, and enabling us to cry out, “Abba! Father!”

It’s striking enough that the God of the whole universe calls us into relationship with himself. That he calls us into intimate relationship as his sons and daughters, and invites us to know him as Abba…

…that is lavish, unbelievable love. Know that, beloved, and take it to heart.

We are the sons we are the daughters of God
No matter where we go we’re close to the Father’s heart
Though we stumble He will not let us fall
We are the Lord’s and He will never forsake His own
We are the sons,
We are the daughters of God

Read the rest of the lyrics here.

Questions for Reflection

1) What does it mean for you to refer to God as “Abba Father” How has he shown himself in that way over the course of your spiritual journey?

2) When you think of the kind of intimacy the name Abba reflects, does it speak to your current relationship with God? If there is distance or resistance to that level of intimacy, what might be behind that? Spend some time talking with God about barriers to spiritual intimacy in your life.

3) For many people, the language of “Father” does not evoke images of intimacy and love, but stands for something else entirely. Do you know someone for whom that is true? Is it something you have experienced in your own life? Spend some time in prayer that God might reveal himself and the depth of his love to those who fatherly images have not been positive.

4) Reflect on these lyrics from today’s song:

When the lies speak louder than the truth
Remind me that I belong to You
When I can’t see past the dark of night
Remind me You’re always by my side

What lies in your life sometimes speak louder than the truth of your identity as a child of God? Offer them to God in conversation and prayer, asking him to remind you not only who you are, but whose you are.

5) Read and reflect on this passage of Scripture. Let it lead you into prayerful worship and gratitude:

“Consider the kind of extravagant love the Father has lavished on us—He calls us children of God! It’s true; we are His beloved children.”—1 John 3:1 (VOICE)