It’s Good to Talk with Your Father
Pastor Lisa started a new sermon series focused on the Lord’s Prayer this past week.
When Jesus was teaching his followers in the Sermon on the Mount, He told them, “you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:5-6)
This doesn’t mean we should never pray out loud or with others. It simply means we need to be clear about Who we’re praying to and why we’re doing it. Prayer is a conversation with our Heavenly Father.
Jesus goes on to say, “… your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So then, this is how you should pray:
“Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
– Matthew 6:9-15 (This is the version we use in our Sunday morning services)
This simple, straightforward prayer is just 68 words and takes less than 30 seconds to say. If this is how Jesus taught us to pray, why do we make it more complicated than it needs to be?
It doesn’t get much simpler than the Lord’s Prayer.
God is not just the Creator, Judge and Authority. He is our Father.
Using the word Father was a completely different way to pray than what people were used to before Jesus. It made prayer personal.
I had a great father. He passed sooner than I would have liked, but I’m grateful for the time and experiences I had with him. I knew I could ask him questions and he would give me answers. I might not always like the answers, but I trusted that he would not lie to me. He wanted what was best for me.
If an earthly father can be like that, how much more is our Heavenly Father?
Granted, earthly fathers aren’t perfect. They are human after all. I know that not everyone has had a good experience with their father, and that can make it harder to see God as our good Heavenly father.
But even though God is the Creator, Judge and Authority, He is also our Father. He wants a personal relationship with us. He wants us to share our struggles and our successes. He wants us to open up to Him. The more personal that relationship becomes, the better it is for us.
He already knows everything we’re thinking.
Ask Him questions. You may not always like the answers, but He won’t lie to you. He wants what’s best for you.