“OUR FATHER, WHO ART IN HEAVEN”
Matthew 6:9

The very first line in The Lord’s Prayer is this:  Our Father, who art in heaven.  This thought raises two questions that must be answered if we are to truly understand what Jesus is teaching. 

The first question is this:  Who can call God, Father?  Can those who do not know Jesus Christ as Savior address God as their Father?  The answer is yes, but only in the sense that God is their creator.  We read these words that the Apostle Paul declared to those who heard him on Mar’s Hill in Athens:  For in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, For we also are His offspring (Acts 17:28).  As Paul was sharing eternal truths with this group of educated but pagan scholars, he wanted them to know that God was their creator and sustainer.  They existed because of God.  But who is the real father of the unsaved?  Jesus answers that question with his comment to the Pharisees, recorded for us in John 8:44, You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father.  For the unsaved, God may be their creator, but the devil is their father to whom they live in obedience.

So, who can address God as Father?  It most certainly is the believer.  Listen to these words recorded in John 1:12, But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.  Or, how about these words from the Apostle Paul, For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God (Romans 8:14).  Friends, only a child of God has the privilege of calling God Father. 

What did the term Father imply?  The Aramaic word, abba, meant “daddy.”  It was the address of a small child to his father.  The Jews winced at this term and considered its use irreverent, as they preferred elegant titles for God.  But, more importantly, it is a term that implied a relationship, in fact, a very unique relationship.  Allow me to illustrate it this way:  I can enjoy a lot of children and they can enjoy me, but only three children in the whole earth can call me father.  There are a lot of men in the world that I admire, but there is only one man in the world I am privileged to call father.

Friends, God gives us the rich privilege of calling Him Father.  As we begin to pray The Lord’s Prayer, we are immediately driven to understand the unique relationship which we have with God.  He is more than our God.  He is more than our Creator.  He is more than our Friend.  He is our Father. 

Our Father….  Lord, those are such precious words to us.  But so often we just say them without giving thanks for that unique relationship that You allow us to have with You.  Thank You that You have adopted us as Your children, that we can be a part of Your eternal family.  May we learn to love You and obey You as our Father.  We pray this in Christ’s name.  Amen.

 

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