My ABBA Father.

 My Abba Father

A Reflection on Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6, and 1 John 3:1

My Abba Father—not a distant, formal name,

But the tender, intimate cry of a child who knows Your flame.

Abba—the word of a child to a Father,

Not of fear, but of love, not of bondage, but of being gathered.

For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15)

Abba—the Aramaic word of a child who runs to a parent,

The cry of trust, the cry of need, the cry of a heart that is transparent.

It is the sound of a child who knows they are loved,

Who rests in the arms of the Father above.

My Abba Father—not a judge who waits to strike,

But a Father who runs to meet the prodigal, who makes the broken right.

He lifts me when I fall, He holds me when I weep,

He quiets my anxious heart and gives me restful sleep.

Because you are His sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” (Galatians 4:6)

Abba—the name that drives out fear,

The name that tells me I am held near.

Not an orphan, not a slave, not a stranger to His grace,

But a child, an heir, a beloved in His embrace.

My Abba Father—in the valley and the peak,

In the silence and the suffering, in the victory and the weak.

When the world is loud and lonely, when I feel I don't belong,

This cry reminds me that I am His, and I am strong.

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!

And that is what we are. (1 John 3:1)

My Abba Father—I come to You as a child,

With all my mess, all my questions, all my wild.

You are not intimidated by my doubt,

You are not tired of my shout.

You are my Father—the One who knows my name,

The One who loves me, not because I am perfect, but because I am yours.

You are the Father of all comfort, the God of all peace,

The One who will never, ever release.

My Abba Father—I rest in Your embrace.

I am Yours, and You are mine, by Your unending grace.

In Your arms, I am home, I am free,

My Abba Father—You are enough for me.

Amen.