Did you know we are told to pray to God and refer to him as our Daddy or Papa? That’s not disrespectful. That’s not irreverent. It’s personal.
God actually wants to be more than just your Creator, more than just the director of your life and supreme authority, he wants to be in a close and special relationship with you. A relationship of deep affection that offers you the ultimate security.
One day a crowd followed Jesus up to a mountainside and he sat down to teach them. He taught them how to handle the real issues of life. And here, Jesus teaches us how to pray. He gives us the example of how to talk to God. We now call it the Lord’s prayer and maybe you even have it memorized. Matthew 6: 9, Jesus begins by saying, “Pray like this: Our Father in heaven …”
In Aramaic, the language Jesus used when teaching this prayer, it is Abwoon d’bwashmaya. Abwoon is an intimate word combining Abba, which is the term a child uses for their father, like Daddy or Papa, and womb which is the source of life. D’bwashmaya is translated into “who is in the heavens”, but not as we think of the heavens today. In Jesus’ time, heavens didn’t mean a far off place in the sky. Rather, it was the unseen spirit that is all around us and in us. Right here is the heavens. In our breath is the heavens. Jesus used the phrase “Abwoon d’bwashmaya” to teach us of a personal God who is not distant, but in our immediate presence seeking a personal relationship. And we’re to talk to him as such.
Our Father in heaven – Abwoon d’bwashmaya – Our Daddy who is here with us – Our Papa God who is close, in all things, giving life.
Then, when Paul is chosen by God to share the Good News and teach the gospel of Jesus, he explains in Romans 8:15 that because we are adopted as God’s own children, we are to “call him Abba, Father.” Again, we’re reminded Abba is the term a child uses for their relationship of love and trust with their Daddy, their Papa. It shows respect, deep affection and security.
Girls, this is who our God is. He’s our Daddy. The one we can most trust. The one we can have a true relationship with.
If you’ve been listening for several years, perhaps you remember a time when I used to pray at the end of each episode and I would begin by saying, “Good morning, Papa God.” Some loved it, and some more than hated it. As the emails poured in, I struggled to understand why this was such a point of contention for so many. Why was it so hard to call God Abwoon, Abba, Daddy, Papa? Why was this offensive to some?
For a bit, I must sadly admit, I doubled down. I wanted to prove my point. I speak to God in the way Jesus and Paul did. I’m in a relationship with God, he’s my Papa. I come to him like a child and I find my greatest security in him. But then something happened … My dear Papa God moved my heart and showed me why so many were struggling with this. And, if I continued to push it, I would be creating an unnecessary stumbling block to some who were genuinely seeking a relationship with God.
This is why I dropped it. My Papa God asked me to. He didn’t want a stumbling block between him and a single one of his girls. That’s the most important thing to him.
My Earthly Daddy was one of the best human beings I’ve ever met. He wasn’t perfect, but he loved me perfectly. He was my protector, my provider, my safe place, my warm space. Sitting on my Daddy’s lap, I was always good enough and forever loved. Because of his love, accepting God as my Heavenly Daddy was no stretch at all. In fact, because of my personal experience with my Daddy, Papa God is a perfect fit for me to know my Abwoon d’bwashmaya, my Abba Father, the personal God who is close and seeking a special relationship with me...