Matthew 6:9b
“Our Father”
” If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” – King Jesus
God has many titles. King of Kings, Creator, The Beginning and the End, Lord of Hosts (literally in Hebrew, ruler or commander of armies), all these titles belong to Him. Yet the title Jesus tells us to use when addressing Him is not distant or lofty. Instead it is close, intimate, and loving.
The concept of God as our Father frames the entire prayer. The implications of God as our Father are myriad, but Christ Himself reiterates two concepts later in His sermon on the mount. The first is that our father loves us.
God is not an impersonal force or an unpredictable tyrant. For His children, He is a loving, life-giving, providing, teacher. Like a good father, He wants to communicate with his children and help them grow into what they should be.
Yet this does not mean He says “yes” to every request. Even earthly fathers know that if children are allowed to eat all the chocolate they want, they will make themselves sick. God, being all-knowing, knows what would happen if he gave us our every request. So, sometimes, for our own good, He says no. Not because He is neglecting us, but because He loves us. He loves us enough to give us what we need instead of what we want.
When you pray this week, remember that you approach a loving father. One who wishes to bless us, and knows what is best for us.