Whisper to Abba

The other day, as we were travelling, there was a moment when I had Josiah on my lap. Driving through the hill country of Uttarakhand (Jan was driving 🙂 ). And Josiah says, “Dada” and I said, “Josiah”. And he again said, “Dada”, this time smiling, and I said, “Josiah”. This exchange went on for sometime. Pure bliss. For an outsider, it might seem almost insignificant. It wasn’t a content-rich communicae. It was just rest, delight, joy and relationship.

Jesus, in teaching his disciples to pray, encouraged them to use the revolutionary phrase, “Abba Father”. What makes it revolutionary is the fact that it assumes such closeness, intimacy with God that can sometimes make us cringe. Really? Can I call him Abba? For a baby growing up in a Jewish context, “Abba” would’ve been their first word just like one of Josiah’s first word was “Dada”. Can you picture it?

Sometimes people tell me, “I don’t know how to pray”. But really, it’s about relationship. Restful relationship. The child on the father’s lap calling out “Abba”. Today, take a moment to just say those words, “Daddy”. Jesus said, ” I will not leave you as orphans”, He again promised to be with us till the end.

You may not have a lot of things to say. There maybe too much happening for you to even begin to speak. But in His presence, he calls on you to just rest and say, “Dada”, “Abba”, “Daddy” and hear him echo back, “My Child”.

Here lies the source of our identity, the answer to our self-hatred, our bitterness and rage, our anxiety and our search for a place to belong. In his arms. Take a moment, deep breaths and echo these words back and forth with God.

“Abba” “My Child”.