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In Romans 8 Paul tells us that those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God, and because of that, we can cry, “Abba, Father.” We are permitted to call the God of creation by an intimate term, a family name, if you please—Abba, Father, Papa. He is our heavenly father, and he will never let us go.
I think of a friend of mine who never knew her father; he abandoned her before she was born. Others have fathers who simply neglected them, and still others have fathers who abused them. If that is true for you, your concept of a father is likely warped. But let me assure you that God is your heavenly Father, and he is perfect. Don’t transfer your negative experience with your earthly father to God, because you will then miss the joy of fellowshipping with him as Father, Abba, Papa.
I had a wonderful earthly father who never neglected me or mistreated me, but even he could not promise to never leave me. But my heavenly Father can say, “I will never leave you or forsake you,” and I have full assurance that he will always be with me. He will not let me go, and the same is true for you, if you are his child.
Let me close with these wonderful verses from Romans 8:38-39:
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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