Quarantine Youth: Prayerናሙና

Who?

So, I’m going to do the, “old-guy,” thing for a minute...

Back when I was in High School (in the 90’s) we didn’t have cell phones. When you wanted to call a friend, you had to dial their home phone number, and then a random person in the house would answer the phone...

WITHOUT KNOWING WHO WAS CALLING!

It was crazy! You would hear your phone ringing, and then whoever got to the phone first, would answer it.

The worst for me was if I was calling a girl I was into and her father answered the phone. I would have to speak with HER FATHER and, if he didn’t like how the conversation was going, he could end the call.

Every time the phone rang, it was a mystery; every time you would call out, you didn’t know who you were going to be speaking with.

It was a tough time to be alive.

The first thing that Jesus teaches us about prayer is that, it’s not a mystery. Jesus tells us to begin by acknowledging who we are speaking to:

“Our Father...”

Let those two words sit with you for a moment.

I know a lot of people that have hard stories and bad memories surrounding their fathers. I also know a lot of people that have had amazing fathers. Whatever relationship you have with your biological father, know this: the God we pray to is a good Father. He cares about His children, He provides for and protects them, He gives His children an identity and a family.

When you pray, think about who you are praying to. If it’s hard for you to imagine God as a good father, then try this: Jesus said that He only did what He saw His Father doing, and only said what He heard His Father saying. In the goodness of Jesus, we see the goodness of His Father.

Take the mystery out of your prayer life. You’re not randomly calling out, hoping the right person answers your call. You are speaking with our Father, and He is good.