TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” (Galatians 4:6 ESV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• If you’ve read for a while, you know I’m struggling to write this morning. The last topic I want to write about is Father’s Day. It’s not a matter of being disrespectful to my dad or any dad out there… but I just don’t love these kinds of holidays. It’s like Valentine’s Day. When my husband and I started dating, I thought Wayne was going to turn a cartwheel when I told him to never send me flowers on Valentine’s. Besides the fact that a really amazing steak makes me happier than flowers, if he were going to send flowers, I’d rather they come on a random day without any connection to a holiday. So, long-winded way to get to the point… we should appreciate our mothers and fathers every day… Not just because the calendar reminds us to. Still, it’s here. And I while I’ll see my own dad later today, I know this day is hard for many.
So, all that said, I want to go to Psalm 91:1-2. These verses say, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’”
I love this Psalm. It’s a powerful word-picture of the safety and refuge we find in God, our Heavenly Father. Yet, many of us struggle with that…
Why? Is it because the comparisons we make between our earthly fathers and our Heavenly Father? I think that has a lot to do with it. If you never experienced the kind of relationship with your father that allows you to feel safe and protected, this may be something hard to embrace. And if this is you, I urge you to embrace David’s words from Psalm 27:10, “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.” Keep that in mind as we go to the next verse…
Let’s go to Galatians 4:4-7, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”
“Abba” is the same familial way that Jesus referred to God when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane before His crucifixion (Mark 14:36). Abba is significant as it implies a deep, personal closeness and intimate relationship—they way some may call their father’s “daddy.”
Whether you have/had the most amazing earthly dad who should be named Father of the Year, or you have an indifferent father who you aren’t close to, or if you have never known your biological father—wherever you fall on that spectrum, we all have a Heavenly Father who has chosen to adopt us into His own family. And that’s a Father to be celebrated, praised, and worshipped every day.
It’s that Father that we run to and cry “Abba!” It’s that Father who offers us the true refuge and fortress from all that we face. It’s that Father in whom we can trust. It’s that Father who offers us eternal security.
Today, as you pray, thank God for being the perfect Father. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you lean on your Heavenly Father every day knowing He is always there.
SHARING ••• Please share with others! Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. ***Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture references are from the ESV translation.
