Our squad has some truly wonderful coaches, the Hellums, and one of the many ways they bless us is by bringing us books each time they come to see us.
One of the books my team received from them in Macedonia referred to God as “Poppa, Daddy, God”. We decided to read the book as a team and when we first read that line all of us looked at each other saying well that’s a mouth full. Any time from there on out when a situation was tense and we needed to pray we would mostly sarcastically say “Dear Poppa, Daddy, God” to lighten to air.
I never really thought much about it and honestly didn’t read enough of the book to see the authors heart behind it. But, one of the conversations I had this month made me think about it a little deeper.
I was asked: “why do people refer to God as different names?”.
I guess I never really questioned that myself. I mean when I pray depending on what I’m talking to Him about usually dictates who I’m addressing in that moment. I’ve started my prayers with all sorts of names; Poppa, Father, Jesus, Lord, Savior, Abba … the list goes on and on. And I can see how from someone who doesn’t have a relationship with God looking in could be even more confused by being witness to that.
So yeah, it got me thinking about why we do refer to God as so many different names. Why not just say “Dear God” when we pray? Why get all complicated and start reaching out for our “Poppa, Daddy, God”?
I had originally responded to the question with trying to explain the trinity. He’s three in one, but He’s one whose three. And that we reach out to who we need in that moment. If you’re praying with a heart of gratitude you go to Jesus who died on the cross for your sins, if you’re convicted and wanting the Spirit to stir within you the Holy Spirit is the one for you, and God the Father is usually who you go to when you’re needing forgiveness. Looking back on it I’m sure all I did was cause further confusion of why one God who already has three names needs so many more.
Well my original answer, excuse my bluntness, sucked.
What I really should have said is it’s because God represents all of these things to us. Yes He is all things that the trinity embodies but, He is so much more. He sent His son to die on the cross for us because He wants a relationship with us. He doesn’t want to just be this unreachable God in the sky who we fear and worship but that we don’t know. He wants to be our Father when we need counsel, our friend when we need a listening ear, our Savior when we need someone else’s strength to lean on. “Poppa, Daddy, God” might be a mouthful but it doesn’t even come close to reflecting how many roles He plays for us … if we allow Him to. Everyone’s story is different and the beautiful thing about God is He knows how to be what we need when we need it and that’s why when people pray they refer to Him as their heart calls out.
Maybe a more relatable way to look at it would be how children change their tone of voice depending what they’re talking to their parents about. I know I was guilty as a little girl to ever so sweetly call my parents “mommy and daddy” with puppy eyes when I wanted something. Yet, I never called them that in normal circumstances because it didn’t fit my relationship with them.
Regardless of how you address God though the important thing is that you’re going to Him. However your heart calls out to Him needs no explanation and that’s the beauty of a relationship based in love.
