[‘Ab] to the fatherless, defender of widows—
    this is God, whose dwelling is holy.
God places the lonely in families;
    he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.
But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

Psalm 68:5-6

‘Ab: Father

This is God. Can any one word better describe God’s relation to all that He has made than “Father?” There is a pile of “gods” in this world, but this is a characteristic I have never heard of in any of them but Him: that He concerns Himself so deeply with orphans to be called their Father, with widows to be called their defender; that He does not demand strength from His created, but is strength for them; that His heart is to protect and provide for the weak who cannot protect and provide for themselves. He alone walks against “the natural law” that says only the strong survive, and He – THE Strong – defends the weak.

Because our God is not a predator.

Predators attack the young, weak, and lonely. They trap the unsuspecting and bind them up for later. Strength used for its own appetite is a terrifying thing! Can you imagine a God who consumed the weak, and what a terrifying person He would be?

But our God is not a predator.

Our God is ‘Ab. Our God is Father: defender, provider, facilitator, joy-bringer. This is God.