Close & Competent

Galatians 4:⁶ “And because you [really] are [His] sons, God has sent the [Holy] Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba (Father)! Father!” (AMPC)

What kind of Father is God? God Is A Close Father. Psalm 34:¹⁸ “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (NIV, emphasis added). Are you broken-hearted? God is near you. Do you feel like your spirit has been crushed? God is a sympathetic Father. Are you hurting? God is sympathetic to your hurt and He is near. He is a close Father. The Hebrew word for Father is “Abba”. The first word a child learns to say in the Middle East, for instance, is Abba. Abba means Papa, Daddy, it means Dada. For those who are dads, you know this feeling. When you get home from work, and you walk through the door. And your child or children drop whatever he or she, or they are doing, and shout, ‘Daddy!’ It is priceless.

Similarly, our Heavenly Father wants us to come and relate with Him as ‘Abba’. Imagine your child comes to you and says, ‘Thou gracious Mr. So and so, that payeth the house rent, and puteth petrol in the car; I pray thee givest me some naira so that I mayest go unto the movie theatre and watchest?’ You will probably laugh your heart out or give that child a knock. However, that is how many of us approach God. I want to encourage you to come to God boldly, He is sympathetic to your hurt. God is a close Father.

Not only is God our Father, He is Caring, Consistent, and Close. God Is A Competent Father. When we were much younger, we thought our fathers could buy anything, but they just decided not to. However, as we grew older, we realized that our fathers (parents) had (or have) limits — in resources and in wisdom. If you ask him a question, he pulls out his phone and goggles the answer — he is limited. But God is competent and limitless. Luke 1:³⁷ “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” (KJV, emphasis added). Nothing is impossible with God – absolutely nothing!

You know how children generally exaggerate and boast about their parent’s abilities to one another? Well, two boys were having a back and forth. My father can do this then that. My own father can do this and do that. Then one boy said, ‘My dad can run faster than your dad’. The other boy responded, ‘Big deal! My mom can already run faster than my dad.’ In other words, the man is not competent as far as racing is concerned. Ephesians 3:²⁰ “…God… is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.” (LB, emphasis added).

Prayer: Father, You are my caring, consistent, close, and competent Father, and I trust You completely to do far more through me as a parent, in Jesus Name. Amen!