Abba, Father

As I enter this time of prayer, I repeat the words of Psalm 46:7 and 10 slowly, several times, making them my prayer to God:

‘The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress …

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”’

Pause and repeat

Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane, recorded in Mark 14:36, is just twenty-one words long. Today, we are going to think about how it starts.

Pause to read the passage

In His darkest hour, Jesus addresses Himself to ‘Abba, Father.’ ‘The power of prayer depends almost entirely upon our apprehension of who it is with whom we speak. When we are scared and hurting, when life feels chaotic and out of control, it is more important than ever to anchor ourselves in the absolute and eternal truth that we are dearly loved and deeply held by the most powerful being in the universe. Let this be the great non-negotiable in our lives, the platform for all our other thoughts, and the plumbline for our prayers’

Do the difficult things I’m experiencing ever make me question the Father’s love? How much He actually cares about my predicament? Whether He is trustworthy?

Pause and reflect

A prayer of Søren Kierkegaard:

‘Father in heaven, when the thought of you wakes in my heart, let it not wake like a frightened bird that flies about in dismay, but like a child waking from its sleep with a heavenly smile’**

Pause and pray

As I bring this time with God to a close, I pray a prayer of trust from Psalm 131:

My heart is not proud, LORD, my eyes are not haughty;

I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.

But I have calmed and quietened myself,

I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.

Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and for evermore.

Amen.

* Pete Greig, God on Mute, David C Cook, (Colorado Springs, 2020), p49

** Pete Greig, God on Mute, David C Cook, (Colorado Springs, 2020), p48