To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion.
Posts tagged Father
Our Father in heaven
1“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.(ESV)
Matthew 6:7-14
During the sermon on the mount when Jesus showed us how to pray he starts by addressing God. He could have started with a different word such as King, Creator, Lord, Judge, Savior. But he starts with a more personal note, Father, the picture this paints for us sheds light on how prayer works. If you ever watch a child after they learn something new often their reaction is to run home and tell the parents all about it. The parent already knows that a caterpillar becomes a butterfly but they listen lovingly to their child inform them all about it. In the same way when we pray to God we are like a child running to their parent. He already knows our praises, our thanks, confessions, petitions. But prayer isn’t for his benefit it’s for ours. Like the parent, God listens to us because he loves us. And because the problem of sin is taken away we can run to the God who created the universe and call him Abba, Father.(Galatians 4:6)
The Lord’s Prayer: An Introduction
0“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.” (Mathew 6:9-13, ESV)
Over the next few weeks we are going to dissect the Lord’s prayer from start to finish. This prayer is what Jesus used to instruct the original 12 disciples on how to talk to the Father. This prayer is guideline on what to ask God for, and what a Christian’s mentality should be towards God.
A Word On Prayer
I would like to stress the point that prayer should not be ritualistic, and should definitely not include passionless chants. Prayer is personal or corporate communication with God. Prayer, like human communication, has several different forms such as petitions, thanks, laments, and just catching up.
Prayer should not be formal or pompous. It is important to remember that God is our Father and we should talk to Him as such. I have never said thee or thou to my earthly father, so I see no reason to use such language with my Heavenly Father. God is not interested in banter, and He knows your heart. Putting up a front to Him is useless and disrespectful.
This series is designed to assist you in your prayer life. We pray the ideas you read in these articles will strengthen your personal relationship with God.