The Father You Need

Jesus stunned His listeners when He referred to God with the Aramaic term, ‘Abba.’ That is the equivalent of saying, ‘Dad.’

Religious scholars and rule-keeping types would have gasped at such a casual reference to Holy God. Yet, this example of Jesus gives us a penetrating look at the relationship He enjoyed with God AND it teaches us about the relationship we can experience with God, as well.

Knowing God as Dad is the crux of everything else we might come to know about God. Pastors and Ministers and Rabbis will frequently tout the attributes of God: He is sovereign, He is omnipotent, He is all-knowing, He is just (and many more). But until we understand that He wants to be our Dad….and wants us to be His children…then the rest just doesn’t make sense.

Knowing God as Dad frames the discussion like it had never been framed before. God was seen as distant, arbitrary in His dealings with people, capricious, even. But a dad, a perfect Father, would be near, would make decisions based on love, would wield power only for the good of His children.

Until we know God as Dad, the rest just doesn’t make sense.

On one occasion, the disciples of Jesus asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

It was an interesting request. They did not ask Him to teach them to teach, nor to perform miracles, nor for the secret of attracting large crowds. They asked Him to teach them to talk with God like He did.

Fundamentally, the disciples had observed enough to know that the power of Jesus, the wisdom of Jesus, the peace of Jesus all came from the intimate, personal relationship Jesus enjoyed with God; and it was unlike anything they had ever seen. So, they requested, “Teach us to Pray.”

And Jesus responded, “When you pray, pray like this: ‘Our Father, who is in heaven…” Jesus taught more than that about prayer, but He wanted the disciples to begin at the beginning, to start at the only place to start in a relationship with God…they needed to know Him as Dad.

Until we know God as Dad, the rest just doesn’t make sense.

This Father’s Day, and in the weeks following, imagine yourself as a child (yes, even us older guys who pretend toughness and are scared to death at the realities of life) and imagine yourself walking up to the most perfect, most loving, most powerful, most merciful, most righteous, most personal God…looking Him in the eyes and saying, “Hi Dad.” Then imagine that the arms of the Father gently enfold you and He draws you close and listen to Him say back to you, “Hello, my child. I’m glad you’re here. And I want you to rest in me, My Child. Because all that I am, all that I possess, all that you will ever need in life, you will find in this relationship with Me.”

In this way, every day can truly be Father’s Day.

Brad Johnson was in the ministry for more than 30 years. He is currently a Starbucks barista and heads up lifechangecommunity.org.