"Our Father in Heaven"

Pray then like this:  "Our Father in heaven . . ."

I imagine the conversation going something like this:

"What should I call you?"
"Call me dad."

This invitation to familiarity with the Almighty is something we take for granted today, but it was not so common in the days of Christ. If anything, our tendency with God is to be too familiar and not sufficiently reverent. But for the people in those days the opposite was true. They feared God to the point of being afraid to approach him. And no wonder. Everything in the Mosaic system of worship given them by God was designed to let them know that God was holy and they were not, that they were unworthy of him, that they should fear him greatly, that if they approached him the wrong way they would die.

And all of that was true. In fact, it is still true today. But it is not all that is true about us and God. Jesus invites us to pray to God and to do so in this way: "Our Father in heaven . . . "

God is like an earthly, human father, but as a father he transcends mere human fatherhood. He is a heavenly father. He embodies (if I may misuse that term) the very ideal of perfect fatherhood. As Paul implies in his first letter to the Corinthians, this idea of God as Father signifies that we are both from him and exist for him (1 Cor. 8:6).

We belong to him. He is responsible for us. He loves us.

Rather than go about trying to think up every benefit that this relationship to him might entail, let me give you the immediate application that Jesus gives to his disciples over in Luke 11:11-13.

"What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

We do not always know our needs, do we? Like children, we know what we want, but not necessarily what we need. Our Father knows. Our Father always gives us what we need. We need not fear to go to God and ask--because we are children and he is our Father. He is committed to caring for us. If evil, human fathers are decent enough to give to their children the good things they need, how much more the gracious heavenly Father who loves us with incomparable love? Right?

But did you pay attention to that last line?

". . . how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

What does that mean, anyway? I have often wondered myself. But upon reading this scripture this evening I was reminded of the passage on prayer in Romans 8 and the meaning became clear. Tell me if it does the same for you. First there is this:

Romans 8:14,15: For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 

Those who may go to God as Father are his children by covenant and by promise. They have been given the Spirit as an earnest of their inheritance among the saints (Eph.1). It is by God's Spirit that we are enabled to cry to God as little children "Abba, Father!" The word chosen here by Paul is a sweet Aramaic word that every Jew would recognize as that used by little children for their father. The English equivalent would be "dad", "daddy", "papa" or something similar. We have been brought--by the Spirit--into tender familial relationship with God. Goes right along with the beginning of our model prayer, does it not? But there is more. Further down he says:

Romans 8:26,27: Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 

So we don't know what, specifically, we should ask for in prayer. That's okay. Our Father, who is dedicated to supplying our needs, has given us the Spirit. The Spirit intercedes for us according to the will of God. That same Spirit which teaches us to cry "Daddy, Father" also makes intercession for us! He turns our misguided prayers into good prayers. We ask for toys and comfort. He gives us shelter, and food, and discipline. We ask for ease and help. He gives us strength and encouragement. We want comfort from affliction. He gives us comfort in affliction. He gives us what we need.

". . . how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

If you belong to Christ you have the Holy Spirit. So go to the Father and pray. Ask. Ask and it shall be given you. What shall be given you? Your perfect idea of an answer to prayer? Now why would you want that? No, God will give you something better. He will give you his perfect idea of the best answer to that prayer. Why would your Father give you anything less?