I Have a Father

“So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as His own children. Now we call him, ‘Abba, Father.’” Romans 8:15 (NLT) In 2010, the opportunity arose for me to visit Israel and, of course, I jumped on that chance. My two aunties and cousin and I were ready to visit a place we had only read about in God’s Word! We were waking up one beautiful morning at a hotel near the Dead Sea and decided to go for breakfast. Although we were able to visit many neat locations that are mentioned in God’s Word, for some reason what I heard that morning while having breakfast touched my heart. As I was sitting with my family for breakfast, I overheard a young boy speak a word that I had only heard about in the Bible. I turned around and he was calling his dad. He said, “Abba!” The young boy was calling his dad! It touched my heart so deeply. I grew up without a dad. When I was four years old, he was killed. How I longed to have a father. I never got to know what it was like to grow up with a dad and call him “Dad.” When I see pictures of my dad, it is clear that I look a lot like him. At 20 years of age, I put my faith in Jesus Christ and have followed Him since. I will be 50 years old this year. It is clear to me, as I have been learning, that even though I grew up without a father, that having put my faith in Jesus, I do have a father! . . . a heavenly Father! It is God, who I can call “Abba!” . . . which means “daddy” in Hebrew. He is a Father who loves me unconditionally, totally, consistently— who will never leave me or forsake me. How beautiful it is to know Him. – Myrna Kopf   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org