Pray Like ThisSample

The Fatherhood of God

Prayer is a subject that is or should be close to the core of every Christian’s walk with God. Despite that, many of us live with a sense of longing when we think about our prayer lives. We know we ought to pray, we might even desire to pray with greater fervency, yet we aren’t growing in our capacity for and joy in prayer. 

In Matthew 6:9-13 Jesus taught us what we need to know about prayer. When His closest followers asked Him to teach them to pray, He answered with the Model Prayer, a text that still instructs Christ followers today in the discipline of talking and listening to God.

The first line of Jesus’ Model Prayer reads, “Our Father in heaven …” (Matt. 6:9).

Jesus began His Model Prayer with a very intimate title for God. In doing so, Jesus reminded us that we, as Christians, have an intimate relationship with God. Yet many believers might have trouble addressing God this way because of past experiences with our earthly fathers. 

For Jesus’ disciples, calling God “Father” would’ve seemed too personal and familiar. Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, all believers gained direct access to God, who no longer dwelt solely in the temple. We don’t pray to the Great Someone in the Great Somewhere, but to our Father in heaven.

Acknowledging God as our Father reminds us that regardless of who our earthly fathers are or were, we have a Heavenly Father who loves, provides for, and plans good for us. If God is our Father, we’re His adopted children because of the gospel. Therefore, we can come freely and boldly into His presence, knowing He won’t turn us away.