Intimacy with Abba

I've been reading and re-reading Forgotten God by Francis Chan over some time now. It's been extremely helpful in my pursuit of the Spirit-filled life of effectiveness God desires and we desire. Recently a lot of people in my life and the lives of those close to me have come to know the Lord. Through discipleship and just talking with those who are beginning to walk with the Lord, I have noticed one theme. They don't know how to experience intimacy with the Father through the Spirit.

We have been chosen, grafted, adopted into the family of God. And now that we are a part of the family, the Spirit causes us to call out, "Abba! Father!" Abba is the most intimate form for referring to a father. It is like saying "Daddy"; it connotes a deep level of familiarity and intimacy. As God's Spirit speaks to our hearts, we can call out to God as our Abba. We will begin to experience this intimate relationship more deeply then we ever thought possible, so much so that we will begin to wonder, Does everyone feel this loved by God?


That last sentence has been something I have asked myself more in the past three months than in my entire life.  And its something I long for others to experience so badly. For a long time I let my personal baggage keep me from enjoying this intimacy that both my spirit and God's longs for. I had issues that kept me from crying out to Abba. I often wished my testimony was like those of the drug addicts or criminals who came to know the Lord and then completely changed their lifestyles. Unlike them, I was raised in a Christian home and came to know Jesus at an early age. After several years of not knowing what to do with this new relationship, I found my intimacy in relationships with other guys. I went through my sinful phase after knowing better and after receiving the Holy Spirit. I quenched the conviction the Holy Spirit put in my heart over and over again.

I can totally relate to the prodigal son after he squandered his wealth (Luke 15:11-32). I resonate with the feelings he had when he was eating with pigs, thinking he could go back to the father as a slave. Sometimes I waited a few days or even weeks before talking to Him because I wanted to have a period of proving myself. In doing this, I acted like as slave and obeyed as well as I could. I figured I could still serve Him even though I felt uncomfortable having a real conversation with Him.

Have you ever felt this way? Do you ever want to distance yourself from Him because you feel so much shame over your sin?

This was a regular pattern for me. I wanted to prove that I was sorry for what I did by being faithful for a period of time. I wanted to develop a good track record before pursuing my relationship with Him again. I wanted God to see that I could  be a good servant. Then I felt good enough to talk with God again. But God didn't want a good slave who tried really hard. He wanted me to see that He was a good Father. He wants intimacy.

It takes faith to believe that God is truly like the prodigal son's father, who from afar "saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him" (Luke 15:20). Lest there be any doubt, the father made it absolutely clear that his son was to be forgiven, with no questions asked. He invited his son back into his life without bitterness or requiring penance and guilt.

In the same way, the Spirit speaks truth to our hearts, such as "there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1 NIV) and "[nothing] will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom 8:39 NIV) and "He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins" (1 John 1:9 NASB). These are verses we could probably spout off, but often we need reminding of the power and veracity of them. And one of the Holy Spirit's roles is to do this reminding.

God said to Israel,  "You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD" (Jer. 29:13-14). When is the last time you sought after God with all your heart? We are not Israel, but God still desires to be sought and found by His people. Ask the Holy Spirit to enable you to set everything else aside right now so you can seek Him wholeheartedly. Tell God that you want intimacy with Him, no matter what, even if it necessitates suffering on your part. When this relationship with Him is as it should be, there is nothing more satisfying or meaningful.