Study 3. Relational

In both of today’s Bible readings you can hopefully see a common theme?  The verses talk about us being adopted and welcomed into the family of God because of what Jesus has done on the cross. His life, death and resurrection has ‘reconciled’ us to God. Basically this act has restored the relationship between us and God, and relationship that was divide because of our sin. 

Now, the point here is that prayer is relational. When we pray, when we speak to God we build into this relationship with an astounding promise or glimpse at how God welcomes us. In these verses God is being shown to us as Abba father, well, that’s like calling God daddy!

Now I haven’t called my earthly dad, daddy for about 35 years and to be honest it isn’t a term I would ever use again. It feels childish right? Like we are just kids again and so absolutely reliant and in need of our daddy’s help, protection, love, affirmation and care. 

Problem with that is, as a man this is something I kind of wrestle with a bit. I am the man, strong, self-reliant and independent, using the term daddy implies I am still, in some ways in need of that care. 

Well, the thing is, this term works because that is exactly how it is. God, the creator and sustainer of all life, his glorious majesty and authority, king of all welcomes us as his sons to the level of daddy. He wants a relationship with you, he wants you to ask him how stuff works, what life’s about, which way you should go and how you should act or react in each moment. He cares and wants to be with you, that blows my mind. 

God, at his word ordered the sun and moon into its place, he spoke the word and the stars came into being – he orders and maintains, he sustains all that we know, and he shapes an eternity that won’t spoil, fade, rust or ruin. He knows the start, your start from the end, he numbers every hair on your head (or not) and he knows you completely. He wants you to know him more and trust him. 

Maybe you have prayed before, and like me it can ebb and flow at times. Maybe it has been a long time since you have muttered a prayer and you’re not sure where to start. I remember seeing an old friend who I had lost connection with. When we met up neither of us went on about why we stopped talking, and the apologies and whose fault it was, we just started talking again. 

I think in some ways it is like this with God and how we pray to him. Don’t worry about the reasons right now, just start talking again.