Our Father: Praying as God's Child

A Father Who Is Near

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Jesus taught us to start our prayers with “Our Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:9). The God who made the stars invites us to call Him Father. That is a gift Jesus brought us.

Children by faith. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12).

Adopted. God sent His Son “that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:5). Adopted means brought into a family and made a true son or daughter, with every right of a child.

Abba. “You received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father’” (Romans 8:15). Abba was the word a child used for dad in the language Jesus spoke.

No need to be afraid. “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear” (Romans 8:15). God's children do not have to be scared of Him. They are loved.

The Spirit tells us. “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16). God puts the sure knowledge of His love in our hearts.

He knows you. “For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8).

He sees you. “Your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:6). Nothing you tell Him in private is missed.

He feeds the birds. “Look at the birds of the air… yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:26).

He is in heaven. Our Father is near, and He is also great and holy. The angels cry, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:3). We come close, and we come with respect.

Our, not just my. Jesus taught us to say “Our Father,” so every believer is your brother or sister in God's family. When you pray, you are one of many children He loves.

Only through Jesus. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

A perfect Father. Some dads are kind, and some dads hurt or leave. God is the perfect Father. He never fails, and He never leaves. Jesus promised, “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20).

What we learn. Through Jesus, God becomes your Father. He knows you, sees you and loves you.

What to do. This week, begin each prayer with the word Father. Then thank Him for one way He takes care of you.

Jesus began His model prayer with “Our Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:9). The Old Testament sometimes calls God the Father of Israel, but Jesus taught each believer to speak to God as his or her own Father.

Abba. Abba (say: AH-bah) is an Aramaic word, the language Jesus spoke at home. It was a child's word for father, warm and trusting. Jesus prayed it Himself in the garden (Mark 14:36), and Paul uses it in Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6.

Adoption. The Greek word for adoption is huiothesia (say: hwee-oh-theh-SEE-ah), which means placing as a son. In Roman law an adopted son received a new name, a new father and the full rights of an heir. He belonged to his new family for good.

Galatians 4:4-5. “God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” The Son of God became a man so that we could become sons and daughters of God.

John 1:12. The right to be God's child is given, not earned. It comes to “those who believe in His name.” Every person is made by God, but only those who receive Jesus are born into His family.

Romans 8:15-16. Fear belonged to slavery. Adoption brings confidence. The Holy Spirit “bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,” so a believer can know they belong to God.

Matthew 6:8. The Father's knowledge is not cold information. “Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” He knows because He cares.

Matthew 6:26. Jesus reasons from the smaller to the greater: if God feeds the birds, He will surely care for His children. “Are you not of more value than they?”

“In heaven.” The same Father is the holy King of Isaiah 6:3. Jesus never teaches a careless closeness. We come as loved children and as worshipers.

John 14:6. Calling God Father is not a general human right. Jesus is the way to the Father, because He is the Son who opened the way through His death and resurrection.

Earthly fathers. Some of you have loving fathers. Others have fathers who are absent or have hurt you deeply. God's fatherhood is the standard, not a copy of ours. He is everything a good father should be.

Matthew 28:20. “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” The family of God is never left without its Lord.

Application. Pray as someone who belongs. Thank God for adopting you, and speak to Him honestly, the way a loved child speaks to a good father.

A Father Who Gives Good Gifts

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Jesus taught us to bring our needs to our Father. A little later in the same sermon, He told us what kind of Father we are talking to: a Father who loves to give good things.

Ask, seek, knock. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).

Bread, not a stone. “Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?” (Matthew 7:9). Even earthly parents give their children good food.

How much more. “How much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:11).

Every good gift. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17).

The biggest gift. “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).

Tell Him everything. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). Supplication means asking humbly.

Peace. Then “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

Your worries. “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Pour it out. “Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him” (Psalm 62:8). You can tell God when you are sad, angry or confused.

Come boldly. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

A Father who runs. In Jesus' story of the lost son, the father saw his son coming home, “and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him” (Luke 15:20).

When the answer is no. A good father does not give everything his child asks for. When Paul asked God to take away his trouble, God said, “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Sometimes God says yes, sometimes wait, and sometimes no. His answer is always good.

Thank Him too. Asking and thanking go together. Remember what God has already done, and your trust will grow for the next prayer.

What to do. Make a list of things to pray about this week. Bring it to your Father, and watch for His answers.

The Lord's Prayer asks for bread, forgiveness and protection. In Matthew 7:7-11, later in the same sermon, Jesus explains why we can ask with confidence: the Father who hears is good.

Matthew 7:7-8. Ask, seek and knock are ongoing actions in Greek: keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. Prayer is a lasting habit, not a single try.

Matthew 7:9-10. Bread and a stone could look alike; a fish and a serpent could be confused. No loving father would trick a hungry child. God's answers are never cruel tricks.

Matthew 7:11. Jesus argues from the lesser to the greater. If sinful parents give good gifts, “how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

James 1:17. God is “the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” He does not have good days and bad days. His goodness never changes.

Romans 8:32. The cross is God's proof of His generosity. A Father who gave His own Son will not hold back what His children truly need.

Philippians 4:6-7. Paul joins asking with thanksgiving. Thanking God for past answers builds trust for the next request. The result is not always the thing we asked for, but it is always God's guarding peace.

1 Peter 5:7. Casting means throwing a heavy load onto someone else. Anxiety is a burden God invites us to hand Him, “for He cares for you.”

Psalm 62:8. Honest prayer is welcome. The psalms are full of people pouring out fear, sorrow and even complaint to God. They kept talking to Him, and that is faith.

Hebrews 4:16. The throne of God is a “throne of grace” for believers because Jesus our High Priest has gone before us. We come boldly, not because we are worthy, but because He is.

Luke 15:20-21. In the story of the lost son, the father runs before the son finishes his apology. This is how Jesus pictures the Father's heart toward a child who comes home.

2 Corinthians 12:9. Paul prayed three times for relief and heard, “My grace is sufficient for you.” Unanswered requests are not unheard ones. The Father's no can be a greater gift than our yes.

Philippians 4:19. “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Need, not every wish, is the promise.

Application. Keep a prayer journal for a month: what you asked, how God answered and what you learned about Him. Over time you will see the Father's faithfulness.

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Read each section and answer the questions correctly.