Prayer Week 33: Your Father

Father’s are a big part of our lives. The role they play is far more important that most people (fathers and children alike) realize. Without fathers, children are significantly more likely to do drugs, join gangs, and go to prison, etc. Even those whose fathers live at home can suffer from the lack of interaction they have. While the role an earthly father plays is vital, it pales in comparison to the role of our heavenly Father.

 

Matthew 6:9 New American Standard Bible 1995

“Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.

Galatians 4:6 New American Standard Bible 1995

Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

Psalm 68:5-6a New American Standard Bible 1995

A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows,
Is God in His holy habitation.
God makes a home for the lonely;
He leads out the prisoners into prosperity.

 

The Lord’s Prayer is a model to help us learn to pray. Many have a hard time seeing God as their Father, either because they had problems with their earthly father or they were taught to view Him in some other way, but I know some who lost their fathers and God replaced that void in their lives so that they did not suffer in the way most do. We need to remember that God is not like man; rather man can be like God. God is the perfect Father, what every earthly father should be.

 

When we pray we need to remember Who we are really talking to, and let that truth change our attitudes and hearts rather than allowing our experiences to dictate our view of God. For the next month we will be focusing on the Lord’s Prayer, allowing each phrase to impact the way we pray and our relationship with God.

 

This week as you pray, focus on Matthew 6:9. Think of God as your Father, the best Father. Let that impact (and if necessary change) your view of Him. How does His role as Father in your life affect your needs and desires? Journal your thoughts. Hallowed means to be made holy, glorified. How can His name be exalted and glorified in your life? How can that be evident in the midst of your current needs?

 Prayer points taken from Praying Through Adversity by Jennifer Kennedy Dean.