Father's Day

A Day to Celebrate both Our Fathers

Exodus 20:12 (NIV)

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

I’m reading a new book, Praying the Names of God for 52 weeks. It’s a deeper dive into the names of God and gives pause to contemplate His names and the reasons for them. In the introduction, the author (Ann Spangler) explains,

“Though I have focused on the 52 names of God, I should point out that most of these are more properly called  “titles.” The name for God in the Old Testament is Yahweh, and, of course, the name for His son in the New Testament is Jesus, whose Hebrew name Yeshua means “Yahweh is salvation.”

Most of these names/titles are taken from the Hebrew text referred to as “Names of God Bible” which is not available in print but can be found and searched at www.BibleGateway.com

Most of the names/titles are new and unfamiliar to me. For example, in Psalm 91:1-2 from the Names of God Bible (NOG)

Whoever lives under the shelter of Elyon
    will remain in the shadow of Shadday.
 I will say to Yahweh,
    “You are my Machseh and my Metsuda, my Elohim in whom I trust.”

The same verse in the English version of the New American Standard Bible (NASB) reads this way:

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!”

That’s a big difference and a lot of definitions to study and learn.

Abba Father

One of God's names we are all familiar with is Abba, the Aramaic word for “daddy” or “dear father.” In the Gospel of John, Jesus calls God his Father 156 times. At the time of his greatest anguish, Jesus called to his Abba father to “take this cup from me.”  (Mark 14:36). The terms Abba and Father doubly emphasize the fatherhood of God, where we are given the assurance that God takes care of His children.

God has given humans instruction, an actual map for how to love our children. He loves us unconditionally, meaning He loves us freely and without conditions. Unconditional love provides us with a sense of security. We are loved, even when we make mistakes, fail at a task, or overreact to a situation. It comes with unconditional acceptance. God loves us just as we are, warts and all.

The way He loves us is the way we are to love our children—and how to love each other. He gives us guidance and instructions (Exodus 20:2–17—The Ten Commandments). He even draws boundaries and tells us what He won’t tolerate (such as worshipping other gods or idols). He clearly describes the things He hates (Proverbs 6:16-19 — being proud (arrogance), lying, murder, plotting and practicing evil, stirring up divisiveness).

As we celebrate and honor our earthly fathers today, if you are a father, it is a good time to take stock of how well you have done your job to raise up your children in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6). Have you provided these things:

• Leadership – instruction and how-tos

• Encouragement – even in light of failure or failures

• Instruction in God’s ways

• Unconditional love

As parents, no matter how good we are to our kids, we can do a little better, even if it’s just showing a little more kindness, making a little more laughter, and creating a few more good memories.

As children, we can be a little better to our parents, even if it’s just showing a little more patience with their growing frailties, being a little more thankfulness for what they have provided for us, and having a little more grace and forgiveness for what didn’t go so well. They did the best they knew how to do.

As we share love and reflect and celebrate for Father’s Day this weekend, soak it all in. Your earthly parents won’t be with you forever. Be grateful that your heavenly Father will be with you for all eternity.

Today’s Prayer

Dear Abba Father, it is a gift that the God of all creation would love us so much to allow us the privilege to call you Abba, our daddy. It is with awe that we learn to know You. It is with humbleness to know that Jesus loved us so much He would allow Himself to be tortured for us. It is with gratitude we can have a real and intimate relationship with You.

As we celebrate the gift of our parents and the gifts of being a parent, may we keep our relationship with You at the center of it all. May we learn how to listen better, give better, and forgive more. May we study Your Word and walk more closely with You so we can become more like You. Thank you, Abba Father. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

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