Abba Father: The Night God Came to My Rescue
Abba Father: The Night God Came to My Rescue
The image depicted here is a real reflection of a night in my life.
I was raised, at least for a time, in a small country Methodist church in Mississippi called Caswell Springs. I remember going to Vacation Bible School in the summers. We sang songs, and one catchy one went something like this:
“If the devil doesn’t like it, he can sit on a tack—ouch! He can sit on a tack!”
Years later, as a 24-year-old in the United States Navy, I found myself on the Red Sea aboard the USS Jack Williams (FFG-24).
Three days prior to this moment, on May 31, 1992, I had made a life-changing decision—I gave my life to Jesus Christ.
I had fallen in love with Someone so wonderful. All my life, I thought God was far away, somewhere distant in the heavens. But now, everything had changed. He was with me. He was in me.
Little did I know, this new relationship was about to go to another level. God was about to come to my rescue.
The Encounter
That night, after a long day, I laid down on my rack—the bottom bunk of three. No one else was around in my compartment area. I was alone.
As I was drifting off to sleep, I was thinking about the incredible decision I had just made—to give my life to Jesus.
Then suddenly, it happened.
Out of the air, three voices began to speak.
No one was there.
I knew these were demons.
They began speaking lies—filled with profanity and fear:
“You are not saved.”
“The Word of God is not true.”
“You are going with us to hell.”
I had never been so afraid in my life. I was a mama’s boy, and in that moment, I felt like a child again—terrified.
Their lies felt so real.
Looking back now, I understand that I had stirred something in the spiritual realm by giving my life to Christ. Like all of us do when we turn to Him, I had upset the devil’s applecart.
I reached for my Bible and began to read. Eventually, I drifted off to sleep.
The Turning Point
After about four to five hours, I was awakened again.
This time, it was different.
I heard another voice—but it was not in the air. It came from within me, from deep in my stomach it seemed.
These were the words:
“Abba, Father.”
I shot awake.
At that very moment, I was filled with the Holy Spirit for the first time.
I began to understand something I had never known before—why we will have glorified bodies one day. We cannot withstand the full weight of the Shekinah glory of God in these earthly bodies.
From the bottom of my feet to the top of my head, the tangible presence of the Lord began to flow through me.
As Jesus said, “Rivers of living water shall flow.”
It felt like holy electricity—like heaven itself was moving through me.
If I had been standing, I would have fallen—either on my face or on my back. There would have been no way to stand.
Now I understand why people fall when the presence of God touches them. Yes, I know there is fake spiritual stuff out there—but this was real.
Tears of love for the Lord began to pour down my face.
He came to my rescue.
The Whisper
While I was in that moment, overwhelmed by His presence, I heard another voice:
“Pray. Pray for your mother.”
I believe now that may have been an angel beside me, whispering in my ear.
I opened my mouth to pray—but English did not come out.
It startled me, and I stayed quiet.
Eventually, I went back to sleep.
The Confirmation
The next morning, I woke up full of energy—still hungry for more of God.
I went up to the outside deck of the ship to read my Bible.
To my amazement, the first verse I came to was:
Romans 8:15
“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”
“Abba Father…”
There it was again.
I began to think about the night before. Demons had tried to convince me that I was not saved—that my prayer of repentance and asking Jesus into my life wasn’t real.
But that encounter confirmed the truth:
I was a child of God.
I also came to understand that Jesus Himself prayed “Abba, Father” in Mark 14:36, and Galatians 4:6 tells us that because we are sons of God, He has sent His Spirit into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father.”
I remember dancing around that ship, overwhelmed with joy.
A Word for You
Maybe you are reading this and have never had a good relationship with your earthly father.
Maybe you never even knew your father.
In the ministry God has called us to today, we see this often.
But I want to tell you this:
None of that changes who God is.
Psalm 139 tells us that while you were still in your mother’s womb, God knew you.
He knows you. He cares about you.
So much so that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for your sin—the spiritual death sentence that separated you from Him.
He is looking for those who will believe.
He is looking for those who will turn to Him and receive His free gift of salvation.
He is looking, just like He did with me, to adopt you—to give you new life in Him.
He is the only way and the only hope for eternal life.
If you believe, today—just like I did all those years ago—you can repent, tell Him you believe, ask Him to come into your life, make you new, and bring your spirit to life.
And when you do…
You too will be able to cry out: