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. – Romans 8:15-16
Do you enjoy the horror genre? I finally came to the realisation about 20 years ago that I was basically torturing myself by reading and watching horror (sometimes even “suspense/thriller”) and I banned myself from the genre. I have an extremely active imagination. I find that even now, on the odd occasion, if my mind drifts back to something scary I read or watched, I can freak myself out.
Here’s what would happen. I would read/watch something, get scared and then move in stages into bed. At every point where I had to turn off a light or enter a dark space, I would pause to psych myself up, then quickly dash to get to the next point before my nerve failed. You see, the most important thing to me in all of this was not my safety or my comfort, but that my fear would be kept hidden from anyone else. Stealth and silence were key. The worst thing was when, safely tucked into bed, I felt that tell-tale urge to go to the toilet. In those moments, even sticking my arm out from under the covers to turn on my light was terrifying. Every creak, every tap, every movement of the light set my heart racing.
What I wanted, really, more than anything else was someone to be with me. To feel the safety and comfort of a warm hug and protection of a person who was on my side (even if the zombies attacked).
There really was nothing there, of course. It was all in my mind. But somehow, even though I told myself that this was all fiction, I couldn’t bring my body into submission. I didn’t only feel terrified, I felt stupid for feeling terrified (and even more so as I aged).
The things that scared me may not have been real, but this world contains many real horrors. We each experience pain and suffering in different ways, evidence of the broken sin-filled world we live in. I know that I have gone through seasons in life where I cried so many tears that I wondered whether it would ever be possible to stop or to heal. I’ve had experiences of feeling plunged into darkness, unable to see any hope or any good or any evidence of God. And I know that my life has been only lightly touched by suffering.
In those times where I have felt deeply burdened, lost and hopeless, I have cried out to the Father who I know knows me and loves me, even though in those moments it hasn’t felt like He is near. And I have been met, received, hugged and assured of my Father with me. More than a Father beside me, but my Daddy, into whose lap I can curl and be comforted. My spirit remembered the truth, though the truth didn’t seem real, and the Holy Spirit gave that truth weight and arms and brought a sense of Him to me. The Holy Spirit confirmed and testified to the truth that seemed so unreal to me.
He is the God of all, the Creator of the universe, the King of all kings, and He is Daddy – Abba – strong and sure protector and comforter who has made us His children, adopted us into His family. There need be no fear, no holding back, no pretending to be strong, no keeping silent. He is one to whom we can come any time, for any reason, in any mood, and not have to feel like we should be more mature or that we need to keep back our silliness. He so much wants for us to realise how intimate our relationship is that His Holy Spirit presses that truth on our hearts when we cry out. This cry is one of deep emotion, it is a cry that is reaching out to find Abba, Father, and He hears and receives His children.
Has your heart felt the truth of His nearness, of the incredibly close relationship He wants with you? Do you know that you can crawl fearlessly into His lap, like a child, excitedly joyful, confused, deeply hurt, regretful, ashamed, and He will hold you in His arms?
If you are in Christ, cry out to Him, even if these truths don’t seem quite real to you, and His Spirit will testify with your spirit: you are His beloved child and He is near.
Prayer points:
- Praise God that He is near, that He loves us, that He is our Father and that His Holy Spirit testifies to these truths in our hearts.
- Pray that we will not feel the need to hide or be afraid of our Abba Father.
- Pray that we will come quickly and often to our Father.
