Our Father

Our Father

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Matthew 6:9

Christ was always mighty in prayer. About His life there was the atmosphere of prayer. Not only did He pray Himself, but He indicated in many places that He wants us to pray. He even went so far as to give some very explicit instructions as to how to pray. We find some of those instructions before us today.  Christ declares in the first portion of our text for today, ‘In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in Heaven.’ Let us dwell briefly, upon the Divine Title Christ tells us to use, as we begin to address the God of Heaven. He instructs us to call Him ‘Our Father.’ How can this be so? Christ is indicating that we have a relationship with the Sovereign Ruler of Heaven, Earth, and Hell. If we are, as the Scripture indicates, sinners by nature and by choice, separated from the Thrice Holy God because of the sin of our first parents, how can we call him, ‘Our Father?’ All of the ministry of Christ, and all of the purpose of God in sending Christ to live His Perfect Life and to die His Atoning Death was to bring ‘many children to glory.’ Hence we read, ‘But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.’ As we stand redeemed in Christ, so we may freely approach God as ‘Our Father.’ This affords us great freedom and gives us full confidence. Our God is the most hospitable of fathers. He loves to hear the voice of His children. He loves to answer us and to open the storehouses of His bounty for the good of His Own dear children. Today, let us pray, ‘Our Father.’

Our Gracious Father,
we rejoice that You have given us a relationship with Yourself,
that rests upon Christ.
We praise You, that as children we can approach
You freely and fearlessly.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning