By Jerria Martin

Throughout the bible there are a multitude of names for God mentioned in the scriptures: Elohim, El Shaddai, Yahwey.

Each of the many names describe a different aspect of God’s multifaceted character, God the Almighty, The Most High God, The Everlasting God.

However, the most sincere and intimate name for God used in the bible is Abba. The word Abba is an Aramaic word that would most closely be translated as “Daddy.”

It was a common term that young children would use to address their fathers.

It signifies the close, intimate relationship of a father to his child, as well as the childlike trust that a young child puts in their “daddy.”

Could this be the reason that when Jesus taught his disciples how to pray he began with the most powerful two words ever, “Our Father.”

We have prayed these words several times in our lives, never truly understanding the unifying and liberating power in them.

When we pray,”Our Father”, it pushes us past our racial, social, and spiritual confinements and unites us all as brothers and sisters.

Our Father is omnipotent!

It is in Our Father that we find the purest form of comfort.

Could this be why at one of the most devastating times of Jesus’ life, moments before his arrest, understanding the sacrifice he had been called to make, Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane crying out “Abba, Abba!”

We can always find solace in Our Father.

On this Father’s Day, the greatest gift we can give to Our Father is ourselves, surrendering to His will for our lives and loving all of our brothers and sisters as ourselves.

On Father’s Day of 2008, I submitted myself to Our Father committing to a life of Christian servitude, as a licensed minister.

On this anniversary, I am reminded of those ministers and good Christian folk whose lives were taken in Charleston, S.C.

We must pray for our brothers and sisters who have been devastated by this tragedy.

We must remember those who have lost their lives so suddenly and hold in our hearts the families forever changed by grief and loss.

Let’s surround them with our prayers for strength as we keep our hearts focused on the needs of all our communities.

Now is the time to cry out Abba! It is time for us to unite and pray “Our Father”.

We must look to God for comfort, understanding, and grace.

We must stay encouraged, keep praying, and always believe that there is incorruptible, infinite, infallible, consoling, and compassionate hope in Our Father.