Sometimes I didn’t see my father for a year at a time during my growing-up years because he chose jobs that took him far from home. I can remember standing at the black phone on the wall and wishing futuristic phones that you could see each other already existed. Our long-distance conversations were timed to exactly three minutes because longer conversations were ‘too expensive’. Fast forward to my senior year at a midwestern Bible school and I had a beau. He wanted to take me home to the West Coast to meet his parents at Christmas break. The school required parental permission for a girl to go home with a boy. The problem was that I didn’t know how to contact my father to get permission. (My mother had died almost four years prior while I was in high school). Communication had been scarce and I didn’t have a phone number or address for him. (Before cell phones) In the end, the school kindly called my future husband’s parents and got their word that they would look after me. The next year, three days before our wedding my father finally met my groom.

I think my readers will have one of two reactions. Many will think, “At least she had a dad.” Others will think, “Her dad should have been more involved and responsible.” So why in the world am I telling this sob story, you may ask. I’m telling it because I want to point out how much better our Heavenly Father is than even the best human dads. I don’t know how you feel about your dad or even if you ever had a dad in your life. But I hope this short read will help you snuggle into your kind Father in heaven.
Just a word to those of us who didn’t have very good dads. And to every person who had a father, whether good or lacking! Humans are flawed. Some humans do better than others by God’s grace. But every one of us does wrong things; dads, mothers, kids, adults, teens. God is the only exception. He alone is perfect in his love, wisdom, power, and generosity. All of us fall short of his perfection. No matter what experiences we have had with our earthly dads, God is on a whole different level of goodness. He is deeply involved, always available to listen to us, and delights in being our Dad. Let his Spirit show you how kind and good God is!

Our Lord Jesus showed us what God the Father is like. In Jesus’ hour of dread knowing the horrible treatment that was about to break upon him from his enemies, he went to talk to his Father alone. In his anguish, he addressed God as both Daddy and Father. He poured out his heart to the God he knew as the close, attentive, loving, involved Dad. He pleaded with God as his strong Father who had the power to do anything- even deliver him from suffering. But, he submitted to the authority of his Father in humble obedience.

“He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by.  “Abba (Aramaic for father which would have been Jesus’ familiar name for his father.  ‘Dad’ would be a similar term.),  Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Mark 14:35-36

When Jesus begged not to have to go through with the painful suffering ahead of him, did God ignore his cries or did God hear him? After all, Jesus did suffer that very night and died the next day. We have the answer in the Book of Hebrews in the New Testament.

“While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God.” Hebrews 5:7

But if God heard him, did he answer Jesus’ prayer? Yes, God answered Jesus’ prayer for God’s will to be done. God’s plan was best and Jesus carried it out. In doing so, he saved the millions who would believe in him.

“Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him.” Hebrews 5:8-9

The same Spirit by whom Jesus called out to God as his Daddy Father, helps us call out to God as our Dad and Father. The Spirit helps us understand that God is like a good Daddy who hugs us, laughs with us, and gives us good things. The Spirit enables us to feel God’s closeness like a good daddy who leans down and hugs his child while he’s listening to him or her.

“God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child.” Galatians 4:5-7

The Spirit also helps us understand that God is like a strong Father who has the authority to tell us what to do for the sake of our good. He has the wisdom to know what is best. And he has the power to do what is best even when it’s humanly impossible.

“So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.” Romans 8:15-16

The Spirit helps us know our Father hears our prayers when we ask out of a heart of reverence and obedience. He teaches us that we must not demand God answer our prayer the way we want. Every request must be, ‘if this is your will.’ We only want what God wants because he knows better than we do. We trust that our strong Father will help us obey so we can enjoy the good things he has planned for us.

Our heavenly Father is our Abba/Dad who is listening, loving, understanding, and gentle.  He is also the Father who is powerful, wise, and deserves our obedience.