“Our Father, who art in heaven” – The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9)
Prayer is an important part of our lives as Christians. How amazing it is that the God of the universe bids us to come to Him in prayer; but how are we to come to Him?
The Weak Before the Almighty
I’m a fan of Star Trek. I remember an episode where the Enterprise visited a planet where the people were a pretty primitive culture. They had a “god” (they discover it’s actually a machine). Whenever they wanted to talk to their “god” they had to bring an offering. If the offering was acceptable, they could talk to the “god.” Is that what it’s like when we want to pray? Do we have to bring an offering and hope God will accept it?
The Ant Before Supreme Being
God is the creator of everything. There are some who see Him as either too busy or too far above us to pay any attention to us. Are we like an ant trying to get the attention of the supreme being?
The Caught Traitor
Another common image of our relationship with God is one where we, as sinners, are traitors who have been caught red-handed. Therefore, we must somehow prove ourselves to God once again if we expect Him to listen to us.
God, however, tells us to come before Him in a different manner, as His children.
‘But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.” – Galatians 4:4-7
That’s right. Even though we are weak and He is almighty, we the creature and He is the creator, and we are sinful traitors, God, through Jesus Christ, has adopted us as His sons and daughters. This is the amazing mercy and grace of God.
It’s true that some fathers can be distant and hard to approach, but God tells us just what kind of father He is when He tells to call Him, Abba Father (Romans 8 also says, “And by Him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.'”).
The term Abba is one associated with a close, more endearing relationship with a father. It’s more like our term, Daddy. By telling us to call Him Abba Father, God is conveying His love and compassion for us. In Matthew 7:11, Jesus, talking about prayer, compares God to earthly fathers, saying,
“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
Think of the best, most loving, Dad you can imagine and they don’t compare to the love and care of God for you.
So, like a loved child, we come before God to pray. We come with confidence and without fear. We come knowing that God loves us and will provide for us. We come knowing that He wants us to be there and He wants to talk with us.
So, we pray, “Our Father who art in heaven…”
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
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