Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”
So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.
Thoughts on Today’s Verse…
The first vocalizations of many babies are the syllables “ab-ba, ab-ba, ab-ba.” Not surprisingly, in Jesus’ day, abba was the tender name babies used for their physical fathers. When God saved us, he gave us his Spirit. The Holy Spirit blesses us in many ways. One of the key blessings is the Spirit’s work with us in prayer. He intercedes for us when words can’t express the emotions we have inside us (Romans 8:26-27). The Spirit helps us approach God with familiarity, dependency, and respect as we call God our Abba Father.
My Prayer…
Thank you, Abba Father, for loving us, saving us, and inviting us into your family. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for helping us share our thoughts, words, and emotions with the Father when words won’t do — they are simply inadequate to express our emotions inside of us. Thank you, dear Abba Father, for giving us the power to be what you want us to be. Thank you, Jesus, for the Holy Spirit at work in me, validating me as God’s beloved child. In Jesus’ name, I thank and praise you. Amen.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.