Beautiful Word: Your Daily Devotion

Daily Scriptural Insights, Curated by the Editors of CT | [View online] [ChristianityToday.org] [Donate] [Beautiful Word Newsletter] Wednesday, January 18, 2017 Approaching "Abba" [Vaneetha Rendall Risner] Today’s Verse Powered by the [New Living Translation] “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, ‘Abba, Father.’ For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs.” Romans 8:15–17 [View in context] In the midst of broken dreams and riveting pain, how should we pray? Should we pray for healing and deliverance, believing that we just need to ask because God can do anything? Or should we relinquish our desires to God, trusting that even in our anguish he has the perfect plan for us? Yes. When life falls apart, God invites us to do both. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus faced unimaginable suffering. Sweating drops of blood, he fell to the ground and prayed: “Abba, Father . . . everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (Mark 14:36). Jesus, in his agony, is teaching us by example how to pray when we’re desperate. Jesus does not begin with, “Almighty God, Maker of heaven and earth.” Of course, God is Lord of all and deserves honor and reverence. But Jesus chooses a term of endearment: Abba. While Abba does not mean “Daddy,” it was used as an intimate, personal term for “Father.” Jesus is asking his Father to do something for him. I grew up calling my father “Daddy,” and still do to this day. It was a great name when I was happy with him, but when I was upset I wanted to call him “Sir.” I could feel distant and defiant on the inside when I said “Sir,” but there was no separating myself from him when I said “Daddy.” And my father, who wisely knew this, insisted that I call him “Daddy” after our disagreements. When I was able to use that name sincerely, he knew our reconciliation was complete. In a similar way, I need to draw near to God in my pain. He’s the Almighty Lord, but he’s also my Abba Father (Rom. 8:15). I need to approach him as such. Reflect: Read Romans 8:15–17. What does it look like for you to intentionally draw near to God in your own experiences of pain or suffering? Pray: Spend time speaking to God in terms of intimacy and warmth, as a child to her father. Vaneetha Rendall Risner is the author of [The Scars That Have Shaped Me] and is a regular contributor to DesiringGod.org. Excerpted from The Scars That Have Shaped Me, © Vaneetha Rendall Risner 2016, used by permission. [Read devotions online] | [Share with a friend] More for Women [When Women Blame Men for Domestic Stress, They Miss the Big Picture] [When Women Blame Men for Domestic Stress, They Miss the Big Picture] The gender wars inspire finger-pointing. The gospel offers another way. Anne Carlson Kennedy [Patricia Heaton: My Career Floundered, Then Flourished Because of Faith] [Patricia Heaton: My Career Floundered, Then Flourished Because of Faith] Q+A: The star of 'Everybody Loves Raymond' and 'The Middle' reveals the prayer that changed her life. Rebecca Cusey Follow Us [Facebook] [Twitter] [RSS] [Subscribe to this newsletter] In the Current Issue [January/February] [500 Years After Luther, We Still Feel the Pressure to Be Justified] [Subscriber access only] [Reading the Reformation in 2017] [Pro-Life's Reformation Ripples] [Subscriber access only] [View Full Issue] [Subscribe Now] Christian Bible Studies [The Minor Prophets: God Still Speaks] [Lead your group in experiencing God's sovereignty, holiness, and love.] [by Tom Cowan, with Kyle White] [Beautiful Word] Delivered via email to subscribers daily. [Subscribe] | [Email Preferences] | [Unsubscribe] | [Privacy Policy] | [Advertise] | [Subscribe to CT] You are currently subscribed as: {EMAIL} Copyright ©2017 [ChristianityToday.org], Christianity Today, 465 Gundersen Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved.