Our Father
Jeffrey Smith
Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…” Matthew 5:9
I once had the privilege of visiting a king while on a mission trip to Africa. In preparation for our visit we were trained meticulously on how we should address him, when we should bow, and when we could and couldn’t look at him. The amount of rules we were expected to follow only heightened the weightiness we felt approaching royalty. Unfortunately, I think this is how many people approach God.
God is certainly the most royal and majestic king. However, Jesus does not tell us to approach God with the formality of approaching a king. He tells us to approach God as our Father. The basis of any relationship determines the level of exchange in that relationship. If you walked up to a stranger and asked for their bag he or she probably wouldn’t give it to you. But if you approached your father and asked for his bag, he’d hand it to you with no hesitation. In the same way, Jesus is highlighting that while God is your king, He is also your father and you can approach Him as such.
Sometimes the idea of God as father is complicated because people have varying degrees of relationship with their earthly father. Maybe your father was an amazing man or maybe he was cruel to you. Either way, we tend to let the relationship we have with our earthly father cloud our relationship with our Heavenly Father. The truth is, the God is the ultimate father and He isn’t comparable to your earthly father. He is the best father.
The first words Jesus uses when teaching us to pray are “Our Father.” It’s important that you remember that God is not just your father; he is the father to all believers. He is simultaneously aware of each of our needs, our struggles, our prayers, and our lives. You’re never alone or isolated because you’re part of a family that is held together by the love of a great Father. There’s no need to approach God as if you were on thin ice. Pray with the assurance that you’ve been brought into His family because of His love.
