Simplify Your Prayer LifeSample

Our Father… Really?

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus repeatedly refers to God as His Father. This shocked the religious leaders in Israel at the time—but it reveals to us the deep connection Jesus shares with God.

What’s amazing about the Lord’s Prayer is Jesus invites us to relate to God in the same way! Upon teaching the disciples how to pray, the first words uttered from Jesus’ mouth were, “Our Father in heaven…”

Calling out to God through prayer in such a tender-hearted manner was a total game changer for the disciples—and it can be for you and me as well. There is something so powerful about professing God as our Father in prayer. Starting each day declaring who God is—Our Father—reminds us who we are—His children.

This is key to diving into deeper levels of God’s presence and power each day! It’s the foundation of the Lord’s Prayer that Jesus taught the disciples.

Maybe you’re reading this today and you feel like you’re too messed up or too far gone for God to call you His child. I remember feeling this way as a young Christian, still caught up and trapped by the shame of my past… but the truth is, God decided long ago to claim you as His child. His decision has nothing to do with your performance and everything to do with His unchanging love!

In Ephesians 1:5, the Apostle Paul says, God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This means you don’t have to clean yourself up before connecting with God through prayer—you can cry out to God today, seek Him as your Father, and trust Him to heal, restore, and transform you.

As you engage with God’s Word:

● What is God saying to me?

● What does it mean to me?

● How can I apply what God is teaching me?

● How can I be specific in prayer today?

After you reflect on these questions, bring everything to God in prayer.