An Invitation and a Promise Part 2

This then is how you should pray,
“Our Father, who is in heaven”

Jesus, Matthew 6:9

If you missed Part 1, you can find it here.

God seems far off, distant, or even cold to many of us. In my late teens, as I was questioning the existence of God, I imagined Him turning his back on His creation and letting it spin into chaos. I imagined the good slowly being corrupted, everything being covered by darkness, and God choosing to ignore all He had made. It was as if God had grown tired of His work and was moving on to something new. Why would you ever pray to such a being?

I understand that questioning God’s goodness, kindness, and love is a common human experience. Many individuals have wrestled with these deep emotions and doubts throughout history. It is not uncommon to feel abandoned or forsaken during times of hardship or when facing the injustices of the world.

In the context of the Sermon on the Mount, some in the crowd would probably have had similar thoughts. The Roman Empire’s oppressive rule over their lives must have seemed unbearable, and it’s natural to question why God would allow such suffering and injustice to persist.

However, it is crucial to recognize that the Sermon on the Mount provides valuable insights into Jesus’ teachings regarding God’s character and His kingdom. Jesus spoke of blessings for the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, and those who hunger for righteousness. He encouraged his listeners to love their enemies, to seek peace, and to practice forgiveness. But why would you do any of this if you felt like God had abandoned you?

Jesus was inviting his listeners to reimagine who God was, who God is, and who God will always be. He invited them to see and talk to God as who he truly was: a good father. Jesus himself was the earthly representation of the Father’s love for us. A father who had all the power and yet was willing to sacrifice for His children. The prophecy of the messiah given in Isaiah 7:14 called his name “Immanuel,” meaning “God is with us.” Jesus was the reminder of what God had said in the early forming of His people, “I will never leave you or abandon you” (Deuteronomy 31:6). The invitation to pray “Our Father” is the invitation to receive the promise that we are never alone.

By addressing God as “Our Father,” this opening line also invites us to acknowledge the corporate relationship that all believers share with Him. It reminds us of our spiritual family, bound together by our faith, reminding us that God’s love extends to all people, uniting us across divisions like race, nationality, political affiliation, or social status.

The phrase “who art in heaven” acknowledges the transcendence and holiness of God. While He is immanent and present in our lives, the reference to heaven reminds us of His majesty, creative power, and ultimate authority. It directs our focus heavenward, reminding us to seek His guidance, wisdom, and provision from above. There is a promise of power and activity mixed with intimacy.

Overall, the opening line of the Lord’s Prayer reminds us of the truth of our relationship with our Father. It invites us to approach Him with reverence yet also with the assurance of a loving and caring Father. It promises us that we are never alone and that we can confidently bring our needs, desires, and concerns before Him. In this simple yet profound phrase, we find an invitation to encounter God, not as distant, but as the ever-present Father who longs to have a personal relationship with His children.

I hope that taking a deeper look at this opening line of the Lord’s Prayer encourages you to spend more time talking to your Father in heaven and accepting His invitations and promises. Here is a simple example of how you might pray this opening line:

Father, thank you for being good and kind and caring about me. Thank you that you are always available, and that I don’t have to worry about if you are around. Thank you for being greater than me and not limited like I am. Thank you that because you are with me, I am never alone. Will you help me to remember that you are always with me and that I have the right as your child to come before you at any time with any need?

Use the following verses as prompts to pray this first line of the Lord’s Prayer:

• Luke 12:32: Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.
  
• James 1:16-18 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
  
• Psalm 68:5-6 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. 6 God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
  
• Isaiah 64:8 Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.
  
• Proverbs 3:11-12 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.
  
• Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?