Adopted: Part II—Abba & Provider
"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."
—Romans 8:14-16
Do you remember the invincible days of youth? There was courage (and energy) to climb trees, run headlong down steep hills, and hang upside-down from the monkey bars. We weren’t afraid of the bumps and bruises, perhaps because we couldn’t see their inevitability. For the most part, we were carefree. Reality, however, sank in at some point. Now that we are paying the bills we worry about where our next meal is coming from. When we were kids, we just showed up to the table, but now we may spend hours or days wondering where it will all come from.
According to the passage above, and many others in scripture, God is not looking for slaves, but rather he is looking for Children. We have received from God a spirit of adoption that allows us to call God by a name that is both intimate and familiar in nature, "Abba." In a literal translation, Abba means Dada. It’s the first word for Daddy that middle-eastern babies learn. God wants to be, not just father, but also dada.
When God leads us down an unfamiliar path, we can trust that he is acting out of a pure fatherly love. When God asks us to jump, it isn’t as a drill sergeant to whom we reply “how high, Sir?” When God asks us to jump, it’s as a caring parent waiting in the pool with arms wide to receive us.
For me, this realization came during a nine month period of unemployment in 2003. It took nine months for me to come to understand that God, and not any job, was my provision. I learned that while God may use them to provide for me, no pay check or employer was going to take care of my needs.
Essentially, I recaptured the invincible days of youth. When we learn that our provision comes from God alone, submitting to his direction for our lives becomes an easy task. When we learn to see God as compassionate Father, we can again run headlong down steep hills and hang upside-down from the monkey bars, for nothing can touch us!
I want to leave you this week with a statement that struck me as important when I was walking through unemployment. "God's delays are not his denials."
Homework this week: ask God to help you see him as he is — Gracious and compassionate Abba.
—Romans 8:14-16
Do you remember the invincible days of youth? There was courage (and energy) to climb trees, run headlong down steep hills, and hang upside-down from the monkey bars. We weren’t afraid of the bumps and bruises, perhaps because we couldn’t see their inevitability. For the most part, we were carefree. Reality, however, sank in at some point. Now that we are paying the bills we worry about where our next meal is coming from. When we were kids, we just showed up to the table, but now we may spend hours or days wondering where it will all come from.
According to the passage above, and many others in scripture, God is not looking for slaves, but rather he is looking for Children. We have received from God a spirit of adoption that allows us to call God by a name that is both intimate and familiar in nature, "Abba." In a literal translation, Abba means Dada. It’s the first word for Daddy that middle-eastern babies learn. God wants to be, not just father, but also dada.
When God leads us down an unfamiliar path, we can trust that he is acting out of a pure fatherly love. When God asks us to jump, it isn’t as a drill sergeant to whom we reply “how high, Sir?” When God asks us to jump, it’s as a caring parent waiting in the pool with arms wide to receive us.
For me, this realization came during a nine month period of unemployment in 2003. It took nine months for me to come to understand that God, and not any job, was my provision. I learned that while God may use them to provide for me, no pay check or employer was going to take care of my needs.
Essentially, I recaptured the invincible days of youth. When we learn that our provision comes from God alone, submitting to his direction for our lives becomes an easy task. When we learn to see God as compassionate Father, we can again run headlong down steep hills and hang upside-down from the monkey bars, for nothing can touch us!
I want to leave you this week with a statement that struck me as important when I was walking through unemployment. "God's delays are not his denials."
Homework this week: ask God to help you see him as he is — Gracious and compassionate Abba.