The Lord’s Prayer – Our Father

Our Father

The opening address of the what we call The Lord’s Prayer calls on the name of the Father. When Jesus said, “Our Father,” He was making a declarative statement.

[Gen 1:1 KJV] 1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

God is, after all, the progenitor, the creator, of all life. There is nothing that exists that was not created by Him. He was before anything that is.

The “our” is all encompassing. There is no one who is excluded. God is the creator of all life.

If God is everyone’s Father, that means that every other person on the face of the planet who ever existed, lives now, or will come after, is our brother and sister. We are supposed to love them as such, and behave towards them as such.

God is our Heavenly Father and He loves us.

Luke 11:11-13 11 If a son shall ask bread
of any of you that is a father, 
will he give him a stone?
or if [he ask] a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
13 If ye then, being evil, 
know how to give good gifts
unto your children: how much more shall

[your] heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Your earthly father gives you things that you need and things that you ask for without substituting something that will be harmful to you. He provides for your bodily substance so that you can continue along on the journey of this life, equipped with what you need to successfully complete whatever mission you have.

God, your Heavenly Father, being perfect and righteous, will do no less. In fact, He will do so much more. If you desire the Holy Spirit, just ask your Father and He will give the Spirit to you. God places no conditions on this promise. The Holy Spirit is the greatest, most powerful gift that God can give you. It is the spiritual resource that you absolutely must have in order to complete the mission you are on. He is the means by which we communicate with God.

No one else can give this to you. Only your Father in Heaven can impart His Spirit to you, and He provides it to you freely. All you have to do is ask. He is helping you get through this life successfully and prepare for your real life after death. Your eternity is so much more important than your temporal existence.

You can go to your Father for anything. We are His sons.

[Gal 4:6 KJV] 6 And because ye are sons,
God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son
into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words –
” “Abba” is the word framed by the lips of infants,
and betokens unreasoning trust; 
“father” expresses
an intelligent apprehension of the relationship.

The two together express the love and intelligent confidence of the child.”

And because we are His sons, then we are the heirs of His kingdom with Christ, through whom we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins.

[Gal 4:7 KJV] 7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant,
but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

God cares about us personally. He wants us to have a personal relationship with Him. He wants us to go to Him with anything that is on our hearts.

[1Pe 5:7 KJV] 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

There is no qualifier in His statement. There is nothing too small for Him, as there is nothing to large. Your Heavenly Father is more than willing and ever capable of giving you the ability to bear your load. Nothing is a bother to him. He wants you seek His face.

What Jesus is telling us is to acknowledge the Father for who He is. Call out to Him, and he will answer you. Go to him as you would a father. Share with Him to deepest sorrows and greatest joys. Ask Him for forgiveness. Petition Him for his aid. Bring to Him your grievances.

Because Jesus died and rose again so that we may be forgiven for all of our sins, we have direct access to the Father. No one on earth can stand in our way. We have no need for any other intercessor or priest.

[1Ti 2:5-6 KJV] 5 For [there is] one God,
and one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a
ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

[Heb 4:16 KJV] 16 Let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy,
and find grace to help in time of need.

In the days of kings, you didn’t go to the throne room without invitation because you could be executed for supposing yourself worthy of interrupting the king’s business. Not so with your Heavenly Father. You are free to approach Him without anyone else’s permission. God Himself has given you the authority to march right up to Him at any time and completely unannounced.

Your Father is not hard to find. Call on Him. You always have his undivided attention.

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