Key Scripture: Matthew 6:9-13

After this manner, therefore pray Ye Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Relevance

How is your prayer life? Do you enjoy the Father's company in prayer?

I delivered a sermon to a group on Thursday. Usually, I produce my own, with no AI or other assistance. However, I found myself in an unenviable situation: being ill and busy. I desperately needed to borrow online. The person gave me free rights to modify it, which I did. The message was not only warm and fuzzy, but practical. I am still ill and busy, so I'm sharing it with you now, confident that you'll be blessed.

As the Lord was teaching the disciples how to pray and what to pray for, a couple of things He said were to enter their private places for humility's sake and not to use repetitive prayers because they are derived from vanity, not relationship. He then came to what we call the Lord's Prayer. Within that, there are some subtle inferences.

Seeing how Jesus prayed and enjoyed the depth of relationship with His Father, and how He placed such a high priority on prayer, the disciples desired the same communion with that same heavenly Father. So Jesus instructed them.

 The first line of The Lord's Prayer, Our Father Which Art In Heaven, provides a foundation for our prayers.  As we pray accordingly, God will deal with our prayers for His glory. When we enter that precious closeness, God ministers a deeper and stronger prayer life to us.  

A significant aspect of prayer is learning to rest in God. Knowing that our Father is in Heaven, the place we desire to be, it speaks of a blessed relationship—God is called "Our Father". What a precious truth. This is the foundation upon which we may approach Him when we pray.

Genesis 1:26 tells us that God created humans in His image. At that stage, He became the Father of the human race. But things changed when humans fell into sin. Satan came on the scene, creating a breach in the relationship. The relationship necessitated the making of protocols to come before Him again—slaughtering of lambs and other things.

But today, we come to Jesus Christ, the final perfect lamb, for a relationship with our Father. 

• We must be Born Again by His Spirit. 

• Saved by His grace.

• Washed in His blood. 

Then, we are immediately adopted into His family. Rom. 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.

When we are saved, we instantly become the children of God, 1 John 3:1. Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:

This new relationship opens up access to the Father’s presence.

 Most ancient religions could not conceive of God as a Father. As they are satanic, some required the sacrifice of children as well as all sorts of distorted behaviours from worshippers.

The Jews understood the Father better than most, but they had many names for God.  

• For instance, someone in need would pray to "Jehovah-jireh", which means, "The Lord will provide."  

• If they were anxious, they would call on "Jehovah-shalom which means "The Lord our peace."

• If they were lonely or afraid, they might call on "Jehovah-shammah",  which means "The Lord is there." 

• If they needed leadership, they would call on "Jehovah-rohi", which means "The Lord our Shepherd." 

• If they were sick, they would call on "Jehovah-rapha", which means "The Lord our healer." 

To simplify the entire parental bond, Jesus instructed His followers to forget the formulas and complicated names and call on the Father.  What a blessing! 

Since God is our Father, He carries us close and has our best interests at heart.   He has promised to SUSTAIN US, SUPPLY US and CARE FOR US until we arrive home in glory. While we are here, He is well able to meet our needs, Ephesians. 3:20. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

Thank God we can rest in our relationship with Him, knowing that when we call on Him, He hears us because He loves us and cares about what we face.  He is our Father, and He has called us into His presence. 

The following two words, “which art,” show us a reality filled with glory and wonder. They remind us that we serve a God who exists and that He is not simply a figment of our imagination, as some like to believe. Hebrews. 11:6 Teaches that faith in the existence of God is the very ground upon which we may approach Him.  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

That verse teaches us that we must believe God exists and that He hears and answers prayer. If we don't, we are merely praying to Him in a vain hope that He hears, which is akin to praying to the air. God is real!  And, when we call on His Name, we are reaching up to one who hears us and will move in response to our needs!

I am grateful that we serve a God Who “is.”  He is not a God Who was or will be some day, but is the great I AM !” as He told Moses in Exodus 3:14. And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.

This reminds us that God is the eternal One.  He has existed unchanged for all eternity—all past, present and future, and will continue that same way. He knows our deepest needs and even the innermost secrets of our heart. And, He can do something about them all.                    

When the Bible tells us that our Father dwells “in Heaven,” it is telling us that He occupies a place of honour, glory and power.  Since He is in Heaven, He is above the evils and the problems of this world.  He is in a position to move in power in response to our petitions, and to be exalted and honoured by us who live here on earth.

This suggests a few things we need to consider when we pray.      

 We should enter His presence humbly – Our Father is God!  He made this world.  He is holy.  He is wonderful. If it were not for the cleansing brought about by the blood of Jesus,  we would not have the right to enter His presence.  Therefore, we learn to approach the throne of grace humbly, remembering what we were and where He found us.     

We should enter His presence confidently – That may sound like a contradiction, but it isn’t.  Even as we humble ourselves before Him, let us pray in faith believing that God will hear us AND answer us for His glory.       

We should enter His presence worshipfully and hopefully.  Our Father is already in our heavenly home, and He awaits our appearance there.  Therefore, when we pray, we are merely turning our attention toward home.  Isn't that a beautiful thought?  We look by faith to that eternal homeland that awaits us and pray to our Father there. 

There is also a responsibility sewn in.  God is called “our Father.”  He is not just my Father or your father, as in our human lives, but is OUR Father.  This creates a responsibility to pray as part of a family, a duty before the Lord to pray for one another.  We are to carry one another’s burdens to the throne of grace. One of the easiest and purest ways for us to fulfil the great second commandment is for us to take the needs of our brothers and sisters before our Lord in prayer.

Our precious Father would like us to make our prayer life all it should be—to call on Him freely and confidently and get the help we need today. 

Amen and Amen 

Prayer

Precious Father, I thank you for the system of adoption you created, so that humankind can not only access your presence but also enjoy our loving Father-child relationship with you. You offer your children so much. Please teach us how to come closer in prayer.

Photo by Szilvia Basso