22
Jun

A Powerful Advocate

There’s something uniquely beautiful and powerful about adoption. Out of billions of people throughout the world, a few individuals are brought together to become one, intimate unit. These individuals bring their hopes, dreams, and lives together to become a forever family. While some may wait years and some for days for their sweet babies to finally be home, one thing is certain; the child or children involved have been fought for by someone that loves them. I have a friend that recently welcomed an older child into her home as her own. While they were going through the court proceedings, I remember her saying that as hard as her new daughter’s story was to hear, the testimonies of other kids were even more devastating to comprehend. The weight of what these little ones had suffered was immense. The light in the dark of the courtroom, however, was that for each of these kids, someone was fighting for them. They had people that loved them waiting for the privilege to be called their mother or father.

There is no mistake that in Scripture we see God referred to as our Father. In the New Testament the phrase Abba, Father is described by Walter Elwell as “ a term expressing warm affection and filial confidence.”* In Romans 8:14-17 Paul writes, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.  For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God…”

Knowing that God wants only the best for us, it is not surprising that the term Father expresses warm affection. His love for us is like no other and a deep comfort that children are made to long for. I also believe it is no coincidence that we see God referred to as Father in reference to someone in which we have total confidence. Before the creation of the world, God knew us and God loved us. He knew our names, what passions we would have and what color our eyes would be. He also knew that we would be faced with temptation, and would fall hard to it, choosing sin over the freedom He offers us. Despite this, He loved us enough to know that even when we would fail, we would be worth loving, worth redeeming. God knew that we were worth advocating for. So before the world began He was fighting for us. He had a plan that involved a cross, the sin of man, and the ultimate sacrifice. Paul again discusses this in Ephesians 1:3-5… “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will…”

The fact that we call him Father means that we can have total confidence that no matter what our story is, He is there fighting for us. He is there on the side of victory shouting over the enemy, “SHE IS MINE, my beloved, and I have paid a great price for her.” Nothing can ever take that away,  we are forever HIS. Just like those incredible moms and dads and countless advocates for children all across the world, Jesus pleaded our case on the cross and finally bridged the gap so we could go home to our Father.

What does it mean to you to know that He is fighting for you? If you have found yourself feeling far from Him, what does it mean to know that He is still there claiming you as His beloved?

I’d love to hear how you understand the name Abba Father. Share with us in the comment section of the blog!

Praying for each of you,

Rachel

* (http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/abba/ ; Elwell, Walter A. “Entry for ‘Abba'”. “Evangelical Dictionary of Theology”. . 1997.)