In the days after Father’s Day, we were still reflecting on fathers and looking at what the Scripture have to say about God and fathers. Psalm 103:13, the Verse of the Day, for June 16, 2014 talked of the qualities of God as a father:
Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.
Other related scriptures included:
Proverbs 3:12
For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
1 Thessalonians 2:11
As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children.
Ephesians 1:3
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
Abba, Father:
God is our father: We have the privilege, not just to call God, “our Father”, but we can call him “Abba, Father”
The word “Abba,” is a transliteration of the word “Father.” Since no English word adequately conveys the meaning of the Aramaic word, “Abba,” the translators use the transliteration of the term. The word conveys a close intimacy that is reserved for parents and children. We might compare the word to dad or “Daddy” or some other term of endearment, but such translations do not really express the closeness implied by the term. Here are three places where the expression is used.
Mark 14:36
And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.
Romans 8:15
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Galatians 4:6
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
The latter two verses form the epigraph or introductory statement to a poem with the title:
Abba, Father
For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear,
but you received the Spirit of adoption
by whom we cry out,”Abba, Father.”
Romans 8:15
And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son
into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
Galatians 4:6
Abba, Father,
All creation is groaning and moaning,
Wrapped in a winding sheet
Straining for relief, release. . .
Sighing and crying,
we no longer suppress
the primeval urge to scream
but wail as if travailing in childbirth
Abba, Father,
Our heart’s cries rise
from the depths of our souls,
stifled in some by disappointment,
crushed by discouragement and besetting sins—
heart-songs hushed in so many by hardship,
and buried in despair by hope deferred,
muffled and all but snuffed out by offense.
Abba, Father,
hear our yearning to express
what cannot be uttered,
listen to our guttural lament,
the alto rhapsody of
our navy blue notes,
fashioned from the twelve bar blues
of our soulful melancholody
Abba, Father,
hear this ecstasy of our prayer:
this inexpressible, irrepressible,
unspeakable joy infused into
the love song of a captive bird
released from the snare of the fowler,
a new sound, our song of the lark
composed to sing on the wings of freedom
Abba, Father,
we long to sing a new song of the Lord,
a beautifully crafted ballad,
an aria de capo arranged for our Beloved,
a duet sung in two-part harmony
fashioned from our own Willow Song,
as our midnight cry harmonizes
with the voice of the bridegroom
Abba, Father,
as the Daystar dawns
and the sun of righteousness
rises to dispel the frigid, dark night,
receive these our brand new praisesongs,
songs in the night, sung in the morning,
raised to glorify and magnify your name,
as perfected true sons of God
now emerge to transform the earth
Listen to a heartfelt song entitled “Abba Father” from the group Acapella
Maranatha Singers also offer a rendition of “Abba Father/We Give You Glory” from a collection entitled “Abba” 18 songs to the Father.
Tags: 1 Thessalonians 2:11, Abba Father, Ephesians 1:3, Father's Day, Galatians 4:6, Mark 14:36, Proverbs 3:12, Psalm 103:13, Romans 8:15, Verse of the Day
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