Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name. Matthew 6:9
God is our Father
James Dobson tells the story of executives of a greeting-card company who decided to do something special for Mother’s Day. They set up a table in a federal prison, inviting inmates to send a free card to their Mom. The lines were so long they had to get more cards.
Due to the success of that event, they decided to do the same thing on Father’s Day, but this time, not one prisoner felt the need to send a card to his Dad. In fact, when asked about it, many had no idea who their fathers were.
When people don’t know who their earthly father is, it really messes up their life.
The same is true with the heavenly father too.
When people don’t know who their heavenly father is, it really messes up their life.
In the Old Testament, God is shown as the Father of the nation of Israel. But that is not how the Israelites saw God, and they walked far away from Him.
This shouldn’t be the case with us. We want to be a people who believe and walk in the blessing of the truth that God is our Father in heaven.
By teaching us to say “Our Father in heaven…”, Jesus is saying in essence, “God is as much your father as he is mine.”
We see in the Scriptures how Jesus enjoyed an intimate relationship with the heavenly father. It’s such an amazing privilege to know that Jesus has opened the door for us to relate with God in the same intimate way.
In John 20:17, soon after his resurrection, he makes this truth clearer, “I am returning to my father and your father.” Jesus’s Father in heaven is my Father too.
By using these words, he wants to underline the fact that God isn’t merely a father figure in a general sense, but He is my father and your father in a very real sense.
What Jesus taught while he walked the earth, the Wonderful Counsellor continues to affirm.
Rom 8:15-16 says, “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!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,”
The word ‘Abba’ is an Aramaic word; the very word Jesus used to address the Father in Mark 14:36.
The apostle Paul is saying the Spirit gives us the same language Jesus uses to address the Father.
Of course, the question arises if we are able to cry out “Abba Father” with great assurance. Here is where the ministry of the Holy Spirit is so precious.
The Puritan John Owen’s comments (paraphrased) on Rom 8:16 are particularly helpful as well look at this question.
“Sometimes, because remnants of our old sinful nature still remain within us, we begin to question whether we truly are God's children.
It is like a courtroom trial concerning ownership and legal rights. The judge is seated, and the person involved presents his claim, produces his evidence, and argues his case. Meanwhile, his opponents do everything they can to challenge the evidence, invalidate the claim, and deny his rights.
In the middle of the trial, a person of well-known integrity enters the court and gives clear and decisive testimony in favour of the claimant. This silences all the opposition and fills the claimant with joy and confidence.
The same thing happens in the spiritual life. A person stands before God and argues for himself that he is a child of God and belongs to God's family. To support this claim, he presents all his evidence—everything through which faith gives him an interest in God.
At the same time, Satan opposes him with all his strength. Sin and the law join in the accusation. Weaknesses are found in his evidence. The validity of all his claims is questioned. As a result, the soul remains uncertain about the outcome – is he really a child of God?
Then, in the midst of this struggle, the Holy Spirit comes and, through a promise from God's Word or by some other means, fills the heart with a comforting assurance that the claim is valid and that the person truly is a child of God. He overcomes every objection.
This is why Paul says, "The Spirit bears witness with our spirit." When our spirits are presenting their claim and title, the Holy Spirit comes alongside and testifies in our favour. At the same time, he enables us to express genuine childlike obedience and affection toward God, which Scripture describes as crying, "Abba, Father" (Galatians 4:6).
In our personal experience, we may see that the assurance of our sonship may ebb and flow.
But in times of need, thanks to the ministry of the Spirit in us, we cry out, “Abba Father”. What a privilege to know that God the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit to give us this great assurance, “I am a child of God.”
For those of us who have confessed our sins and believed in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins, let’s take a moment to cry out “Abba Father” to God from the depths of our heart, praying that the witness of the Holy Spirit becomes an established truth in our heart and mind.