S8 Episode #11- Abba, Father

THE ONE WITH Jes + ABBA, FATHER

In this episode of The Collected Podcast, Jes invites listeners into one of the most tender and transformative names of God—Abba, Father. This episode explores the intimacy and security found in calling God “Abba,” weaving together Scripture, personal stories, and reflections that reveal His delight in His children and His promise of adoption through Christ. As we step into the Christmas season, Jes reminds us that the birth of Jesus is also the beginning of our adoption story, a powerful truth that offers rest, hope, and belonging. If you’ve ever longed to experience God not as a distant ruler but as a loving Father who knows you, delights in you, and calls you His own, this episode will encourage your heart and deepen your faith.

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I’m so excited to be back with another episode in our Names of God Series! It’s part 16 of the series in which we are highlighting different names and character attributes of The Lord. Understanding who God is and who we are in Him are vital parts of walking in freedom and remaining rooting in who we are created to be. This week we are diving into one of the most tender and profound names of The LORD– Abba, Father. 

I had the hardest time getting started on this episode. I was paralyzed by how to put into words a love that had changed my life, shaped my identity, held me through the good times and the bad, and given me a hope and a future. I didn’t know where to start, so I’ve put it off for well over a year. Penciling it into the schedule and then bumping it for another name time and time again. But as I was praying about what to do for our final episode of the year, I knew that I couldn’t put this off any longer, and as I began my research I quickly discovered that this would be a perfect Chritmas episode, so without furher ado… let’s dive in. 

The title of Father in the New Testament to refer to God is not used in a distant or formal sense. In Scripture, we find the word Abba—an Aramaic term that denotes intimacy, closeness, and trust. It’s the cry of a child who knows they are deeply loved and fully secure.

God as Abba, our Father, means that you are deeply loved and fully secure. When the chaos, grief, or confusion of life threatens to overwhelm, you have a Heavenly Father who is near. He cares about the intimate details of your life. He is a source of comfort and compassion. He will never leave you nor forsake you. 

JESUS + ABBA 

The title of Father is used hundreds of times throughout the Bible, but the first time that we see the use of the name Abba is in Mark 14:36. Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night that he will be betrayed and arrested. 

The passage says: 

“They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”

Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

When Jesus was deeply distressed, troubled and overwhelmed with sorrow, he turned to His Father. His Abba– who knew him intimately, was near to Him and whose heart broke along with His. 

David Guzik of The Enduring Word Commentary states, “In this moment of deep distress, Jesus didn’t feel far from God the Father. He felt so close to the Father that He used the name Abba, a child’s familiar name for daddy.”

My prayer as we move through this teaching together is that you would lean into the heart of The Father and go to Him will all of your stresses, troubles and feelings of overwhelm. He cares about every detail of your life and He is near to you, even in this very moment. 

THE DELIGHT OF THE FATHER 

Recently Jon and I attended a worship night at our church and at one point while my hands were raised in worship, I saw a vision in my mind of my hands reaching up to The LORD. In the vision, He picked me up and spun me around again and again and again. We were both laughing and there was a wave of great joy and delight that rushed through my spirit. In that moment I had a deep sense of knowing that The LORD, my Heavenly Father, delights in me. And He delights in you. He wants His children to be near to Him, to celebrate with Him, to grieve with Him, to live our lives in perfect step with Him. 

As I was reflecting more on this, my mind wandered to a long-forgotten memory. When I was in college, we had a weekly worship event called Evensong. It was always held in the gym, so they would also set up curtains about a quarter of the way down the court to make the space feel more intimate. Every week I would go behind the curtain and dance as an act of worship before The Lord. This was almost 20 years ago and I hadn’t thought about it for well over a decade, but as The LORD brought this back to my mind and I was picturing “College Jes” dancing behind the curtain again, I felt The LORD saying, “I’ve been dancing with you the whole time.” 

I was moved to tears as the power of these words made its way deep into my soul. He has been there through it all. I was never alone or forgotten. The compassion and faithfulness of my Heavenly Father has been with me every step of the way. 

I think someone out there needs to hear The Father speak these same words over your life today. The LORD is saying to you right now, “I’ve been dancing with you the whole time. I’ve been sitting with you, walking with you, waiting with you, grieving with you, delighting in you, fighting for you– the whole time.”  

This is the heart of The Father for His children. 

Jesus reveals to us more about the heart of The Father in Matthew 11:27-30– “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

The heart of The Father is to give rest to the weary and burdened. He is gentle, kind, and good. Whatever burden or weight you are carrying right now, you can release it into the loving hands of your Heavenly Father. You are not alone in your struggle. 

As we dive in more to this name, I encourage you to set aside any earthly pictures of fatherhood that you have seen or experienced. Your earthly father may have been loving or harsh, kind or cruel, present or absent, apathetic or engaged… or anything in between, but they are not who we are talking about today– they are not God. Even the best possible Dad in the world is still a fallen human in need of the love, grace, and guidance of our good Heavenly Father. 

This makes me think of the first time that I saw a starry night sky in the remote desert of Namibia. There was not even a hint of light pollution and the sky was completely filled with stars. I had never seen anything like it. It felt like I was seeing every star that ever existed from the beginning of time. When I got out my camera to try and capture the moment, you can imagine how lackluster the photo seemed compared to the actual sky. Taking a picture of stars with my 2012 iPhone was never going to do them justice. There are certainly many cameras that are better than mine and they would take a better photo, but it still would never compare to standing in the desert, experiencing the vast majesty of the stars for myself. 

I think earthly fathers are like those star photos. They are but a picture of the Heavenly Father. Some pictures of stars might be better than others, just like some earthly fathers are a better depiction of The Heavenly Father, but even if they are the best dad on earth, they are still just a small glimmer of the real thing, and the vast majesty of experiencing your Heavenly Father will truly blow you away. 

CHARACTERISTICS OF GOD THE FATHER 

So let’s lay a Biblical foundation for the characteristics of God our Father. 

  1. Our Heavenly Father is the creator and sustainer of life. He is our source, we would not exist without Him.

    • Deuteronomy 32:6 tells us:“Is He not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?” 

  2. Our Heavenly Father is loving and compassionate. His love is unconditional. We cannot lose His love. And out of His great love for us, He is always working for our good.

    • Psalm 103:13 says, “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.”

    • Ephesians 2:4-5 —“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” 

    • 1 John 3:1 — “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” 

  3. Our Heavenly Father is our comforter, protector and provider. He sees all of our needs– spiritual, emotional, and physical– and is always working behind the scenes on our behalf.

    • In Matthew 6:26, Jesus reminds us, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than them?”

    • Matthew 7:11 — “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” 

    • 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 — “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles.” 

  4. Our Heavenly Father is our disciplinarian and guide. His discipline is always rooted in love, not anger or punishment.

    • Hebrews 12:7–11 explains that God disciplines us for our good, so we may share in His holiness: “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

  5. Our Heavenly Father is ever-present and faithful. He will never abandon you.

    • Joshua 1:9 promises, “The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

  6. Our Heavenly Father is holy and sovereign. Ray Ortland says, “His fatherhood combines intimacy with majesty.” All majesty, power, glory and honor our His and yet he is also near to us and makes himself available to us. We have full access to His authority and power through His Holy Spirit living in us when we are in Christ Jesus. 

    • Ephesians 4:6 says, “One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

    • Also, Jesus tells His disciples: "Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." (John 14:12) and "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don't doubt, you can do things like this and much more... You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.” (Matthew 21:21-22) 

  7. Finally, our Heavenly Father is our adopter and redeemer. This is where we are going to camp out for the rest of our time together today. Through Christ, we are adopted into God’s family. 

    • Romans 8:14-17 – “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

A NEW (TESTAMENT) PERSPECTIVE 

It is by the work of Jesus on the cross that we are able to be adopted into the family of God and call out to Him as our Abba. Jesus was the missing link that allowed us to become part of the family of God. 

Herbert Lockyer explains that it is “the Saviourhood of Christ through whom alone we can lay claim to the fatherhood of God and realize the true brotherhood of man, When we address God as our Father, we know that a blood-relationship is involved, for no man can approach God as Father save through the mediation of all His Son accomplished at Calvary. ‘No man comes to the Father, except through me’ (John 14:6). Father, then is the cry of the Spirit of the Father in the believer (Romans 8:15), and the language of the babe in Christ (1 John 2:13), and a name only fully known and enjoyed by the practically separated saint (1 John 2:15-16).” 

In John 14:6-7, Jesus himself tells us, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on you do know him and have seen him!” 

When the wrath of God was poured out on his Son on the cross, Jesus conquered all sin and death and made a way for us to know the sovereign Lord Almighty as our tender and loving Father. When Jesus was raised from the dead, he commissioned Mary of Magdala to share with his disciples the proclamation of a new relationship. He said, “‘Don’t cling to me… for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” (John 20:17, emphasis added) 

When you say ‘yes’ to Christ, you are adopted into the family of God. 

ADOPETED INTO THE FAMILY 

This adoption is the great gift of The Gospel. It means that we are no longer outsiders, no longer slaves to fear or sin. We are secure in our identity as a beloved child of the Father. Romans 8:15 tells us, “You received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, Abba, Father.” And Galatians 4:6 says, “Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, Abba, Father’"

The next verse goes on to say, “So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are His child, God has made you also an heir.”

We are co-heirs with Christ to all of the promises of God. This includes access to God in prayer, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the promise of eternal life. There is truly no better inheritance! 

Through the power of the Holy Spirit we are also empowered to walk in love, obedience and holiness. Ephesians 5:1 says, “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children.”

A PLACE AT THE TABLE 

You have a place at the table– not because of anything you’ve done, but because of who your Father is. You have access to the power of the Holy Spirit and the promises of God, not because of anything you’ve done, but because of the work of Jesus on the cross and because of who your father is– your Heavenly Father. 

ADVENT 

So now as we find ourselves in the Christmas season, I want to look at it in a new light: Christmas is not just about Jesus being born; it’s about us being reborn into God’s family. I once read,“The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem was not only the arrival of a Savior—it was the beginning of our adoption story. The Father sent His Son into the world so that we could become His sons and daughters.” 

As John 1:12 says, “To all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” 

Jesus– even as a baby in a manger– was the eternal Son of God, who already knew His Father as Abba. And because He came near to us and took on flesh, we now share in that same relationship. 

So when you see the nativity scene this season, remember that it’s more than a sweet story. It’s your adoption certificate. It’s the Father saying, ‘Through My Son, you belong to Me.’ And that means you can live every day with the confidence of a son or daughter of Abba, secure in His love, welcomed into His household, and promised an eternal inheritance.

FINAL THOUGHTS 

As we close today, let’s rest in the truth that God is not a distant ruler, but Abba—our loving Father who welcomes us into His family. In Mark 14:36, Jesus cried out “Abba, Father” in His deepest moment of need. And in Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6, we are reminded that through the Spirit, we too can cry out “Abba, Father,” knowing we are heard, loved, and held.

So wherever you find yourself today—in joy, in sorrow, in doubt, or in quiet trust—remember that you have a Father who delights in you. You are His child. You are adopted, cherished, and invited to draw near with confidence.

May you go into this Christmas and the coming year with the assurance that Abba sees you, knows you, and calls you His own. 

NEXT STEPS

Here are a few action steps to help you dip deeper this week!

  1. Spend time talking to God as Abba, Father. Share your joys, burdens, and gratitude with Him. Identify one weight you’re carrying and intentionally surrender it to your Heavenly Father in prayer.

  2. Meditate on passages like Romans 8:14–17, Galatians 4:6–7, and Mark 14:36 to deepen your understanding of God as Father.

  3. Journal Your Adoption Story: Write about moments when you’ve experienced God’s nearness, delight, or comfort. Capture how He has “been dancing with you the whole time.”

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  • The Collected Podcast is produced by Jes French and edited by Jacob Early. Cover art designed by Ben Biondo.

Most Recent, Podcast Episodes, Names of God SeriesJessica BiondorecentComment