Prelude to Father’s Day: Abba, Father

In the days leading up to Father’s Day, the Verse of the Day for June 16, 2016 provides a description of our loving Heavenly Father:

Psalm 103:13

Just as a father loves his children, so the Lord loves those who fear and worship Him [with awe-filled respect and deepest reverence].

Other places in the Scriptures also point out various attributes of our Father:

Proverbs 3:12:

For those whom the Lord loves He corrects,
Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.

1 Thessalonians 2:11:

¹¹ For you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you just as a father does [in dealing with] his own children, [guiding you]

2 Corinthians 1:3 (AMP):

³ Blessed [gratefully praised and adored] be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort,

As children of God, we have the privilege, not just to call God, “our Father”, but we may also call him “Abba, Father,” indicating a special intimate relationship. The word “Father,” is a translation of a number of Greek words in the New Testament.  On the other hand, the word “Abba” is a transliteration. There is no English word that adequately conveys the meaning of the Aramaic word, “Abba.” This is why the translators gave us this transliteration: Abba. The word conveys a close intimacy that is reserved for parents and children. We might compare the word to Dad or Daddy, but even these endearing expressions do not do the term justice.

Here are the three places where Abba is used:

Jesus Christ uses the term when he is fervently praying in the Garden of Gethsemane before his crucifixion:

Mark 14:36
He was saying, “Abba, Father! All things are possible for You; take this cup [of judgment] away from Me; but not what I will, but what You will.”

As sons of God by adoption, we call out to our Father with joy:

Romans 8:15

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading agai Man to fear [of God’s judgment], but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons [the Spirit producing sonship] by which we [joyfully] cry, “Abba! Father!”

By the spirit of the living God we express from the depths of our hearts that we are sons of God with a most intimate relationship with our Father:

Galatians 4:6

And because you [really] are [His] sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba! Father!”

We concludes this prelude to Father’s Day with this expression of our heart’s cry:

 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 this our brand new praise song,

song 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.

The musical ensemble Acappella offer “Abba Father”, a song dedicated to all the souls of China:

  

 

Like a father: Abba, Father

In anticipation of Father’s Day which is only five days away, the Verse of the Day makes reference to God as a father.

Psalm 103:13 (New Living Testament):

The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.

The Psalmist also declares:

Psalm 68:5 (NLT):

Father to the fatherless, defender of widows– this is God, whose dwelling is holy.

Other related scriptures include:

Proverbs 3:12

For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

1 Thessalonians 2:11

And you know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children.

Ephesians 1:3

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 Aramaic expression became the inspiration for the following poem:

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 be sung 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 praise-songs,

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

Maranatha Singers offer a rendition of “Abba Father/We Give You Glory” from a collection entitled “Abba”: 18 songs to the Father.

Abba, Father: Taking another look

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.