*** This is a paper presented at the 2010 Southeast Regional meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society held at North Greenville University.
One of the most striking teachings of Jesus is that we can call the God of the Universe “Father.” Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father in heaven… (Matthew 6:9).” Paul went so far as to say we should call out “Abba, Father!” (Romans 8:15-17; Galatians 4:4-7) which is the English equivalent of God “Papa” or “Daddy.”
Yet for many it is quite difficult to have that intimate of a relationship with God. We don’t necessarily try to refute Jesus or Paul. We just don’t get it. This presentation draws upon several images from the Psalms to illustrate God the Father interacting with His children. The Psalms are some of the most personal and intimate texts in Scripture and provide a fruitful place to reflect on this subject.