Our Father in Heaven
ICS Daily Devotions
Matthew 6:9 (NKJV) In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
The image of our Heavenly Father should be someone dear to us, loving, caring, sympathetic, and empathetic, who gives us a sense of security and warmth.
Unfortunately, our perception of the Heavenly Father can be affected by the family or environment in which we were raised, especially when we do not have a close relationship with our earthly fathers. Some of us think that God is a tyrant or merciless judge who can’t wait to punish us when we do something wrong. Others live as though God is not interested in their lives, nor do they allow God to be a Father to them, thus living like orphans in the Kingdom of God. To some, God seems impersonal because the church looks legalistic, ritualistic, and unapproachable. It is difficult to establish a close relationship with God the Father when we have a wrong perception about Him.
John 14:8-10 (NKJV) Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us. ”Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.
The right view of the Heavenly Father is established in the above Scripture. Jesus told Philip that if he had seen Jesus, he had seen the Father because He and the Father are one. We worship a Triune God. Jesus came to carry out the will of God, and to declare God the Heavenly Father to us. Jesus is God who became flesh and walked among us. Therefore, we can conclude that Jesus’ ministry, teaching, and preaching were fully endorsed by the Heavenly Father. Jesus did not come to condemn sinners but to save them. Neither did He kill or inflict pain on His enemies, but He chose to pray for the sinners, heal and forgive them. Jesus was sent to restore the relationship between God and man hindered by sin. He dealt with the sin issue so we can be hidden in Him.
Acts 10:38 (NKJV) How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
God, the Heavenly Father, anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and empowered Him to carry out all the good works of preaching the gospel of salvation, setting free the oppressed and demon-possessed, and healing all who came to Him. Jesus did everything good for the people when He was on earth.
Once we appreciate how Christ has portrayed the Heavenly Father to us, the moment we cry to God as our Heavenly Father, it ought to draw us into a closer and more intimate relationship with Him.
Sermon Series: Lord Teach us How to Pray
