Our Father

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name..." Matthew 6:9

Insight

From the very first words Jesus uttered, He teaches us to call God our Father. We are invited to experience prayer very personally from Someone we can know very intimately. 

We all long to walk in freedom, to make our lives count, to experience forgiveness, and to feel the unshakable love of a Father - a compassionate Father who cares for the needs and concerns for His children. This is the relationship we are invited into. 

The intimacy of our Father is coupled with the reality that God is Holy. He is our Creator, and He is the source of life. We are invited to live within the care of His kindness and the reverence of His splendor. 

The journey ahead is for us to be recreated and redeemed under the rule of His love and formed into His image. God created us to imitate His way and to reflect His character in every aspect of our lives. This reconciled relationship with God should influence how we work, lead others, and pursue relationships. It should rearrange our priorities and pursuits.  

God has redeemed us as His children in order to renew us into His image. To reflect God's heart, we need to know God's heart. As we worship Him in reverence and awe, we draw close to Him in love and comfort to let Him transform us from the inside out.

Reflection

• What positive attributes define a good father? Write them down. Then, reflect on the list you created, spending time in prayer thanking God for one specific way He has been a loving Father to you.

Prayer

God, thank you for being a loving Father, one who cares about my well-being and heart. I can approach you with confidence, knowing You'll meet me with unconditional love and incomparable grace. I am unworthy of this affection, but because You are holy and worthy, You made a way to experience freedom. In Your name, Jesus. Amen.