Are you a Daddy’s boy?

Gal 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

One of my childhood memories with my dad is him laying on the floor on his back holding my brother and I on his feet and flying us in the air. It was hilarious! I have tried it with my son but I guess my dad was a little more flexible than me. Or maybe my belly is bigger! Josh – my son doesn’t think it is as funny since he is a little scared of heights. The couple of times we have tried the airplane his little face cries “daddy, get me down from here”. Which is fine with me since I am about to pull a hamstring anyway. But, the look of my son when I sense he is calling me “daddy” are precious memories to me. Contrasted to the looks where I sense he is calling me other names.

Daddy! What a great name. It has been said that any body can birth a child (all you need is a little well directed sperm). But, a daddy is something special! In this passage in Galatians, the Spirit of God resides in our hearts and cries with our spirit “Daddy”.

According to Vines Expository Dictionary – Abba is an Aramaic word, found in Mark 14:36; Rom. 8:15 and Gal. 4:6. In the (a Rabbinical commentary on the Mishna, the traditional teaching of the Jews) it is stated that slaves were forbidden to address the head of the family by this title. It approximates to a personal name, in contrast to “Father,” with which it is always joined in the N.T. This is probably due to the fact that, “Abba” having practically become a proper name, Greek–speaking Jews added the Greek word pateµr, father, from the language they used. “Abba” is the word framed by the lips of infants, and betokens unreasoning trust; “father” expresses an intelligent apprehension of the relationship. The two together express the love and intelligent confidence of the child.

Unreasoning trust. What a phrase. We trust our Abba not because we have figured our through intelligent apprehension of our relationship with Him that He is trustworthy. But, we trust Him because we have enjoyed the sweet fellowship between toddler and daddy. We have dependent confidence on Him like a crying infant being cuddled by the loving Abba. One of my favorite pictures of me and my son is one in which I have him cupped in my left arm and laying on my chest, protected by a pillow (he was about a foot and a half long at the time) and he and I sound asleep in my recliner. Now he is so big and I can’t hold him like that anymore. But I remember those days. His unreasoning trust of me was priceless.

How much more so of our heavenly Abba! He holds us close to His chest even if we are a little bigger than an infant. He cradles us as our loving Trusted One. In Mark 14:36, Jesus felt this relationship in His greatest hour of need… ‘And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; remove this cup from me: howbeit not what I will, but what thou wilt.’ He addresses Him as Father, but not just Father but Abba Father. I don’t know about you but when the chips are down and I am all alone and my heart is crying out to heaven. I don’t cry out as the independent teenager son… Dad, I need the car key please. But, my heart cries out as the little kid… Daddy, help me please.

A few years ago, I went through a very tough time. I had lost a job that I had really wanted and I was very disheartened. Probably more than any other time in my life. I was very alone and no one really knew the despair I was feeling. But God did! My Father knew and He was close to me. Close to me like only an Abba could be. I learned more about Him in those dark years than in any other time of my 45 years of existence. As much as I hated to lose my job and as much as I hated losing my reputation, I wouldn’t trade that time for anything because He became real to me.

Are you a Daddy’s boy? Man, I am! And proud of it!