2010 - 09: Our Father in Heaven

Praying is an amazing privilege.  You can talk to the Creator of the universe just as if you were using a hands-free kit.  God listens carefully to every word and responds in ways that will always do you good.  Jesus taught His friends to pray and He began by helping them to understand God in a way that was new for them - as a truly loving Father, or in their language ‘Abba’.

A well-known Christian writer once visited Israel with his family and afterwards wrote about his experiences:  “One afternoon in old Jerusalem we found ourselves behind a Jewish family - a father and his three little girls.  The 4-year-old fell a few steps behind and couldn’t see him. ’Abba!’ she called.  He stopped immediately, extended his hand and she took it.  He held her hand tightly as they descended the ramp.  When they stopped at a busy street, she stepped off the kerb and he pulled her back.  When the lights changed he led her and her sisters across the busy junction. In the middle of the road he reached down, swept her up into his arms and continued their journey.”

Who will take your hand when you’re weak?  Who will guide you across the hectic junctions of life?  Who will swing you up into His arms and carry you home?  You can call on God - our loving Father, our Abba - to turn your life round and make you His child.  No matter what you are facing today, all you have to do is pause, close your eyes and whisper, “Abba,” and He will be there for you.

Adapted from Word for Today: read more messages like this at www.ucb.co.uk/word_for_today