Matthew 6:8–9 – “Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven…”
The Lord's Prayer is one of the most familiar passages in all of Scripture. Most of us could probably recite it from memory since we were kids. But sometimes the scriptures we know best are the ones where we miss some of the most profound lessons.Our familiarity deafens our ear to new revelation on a passage. We read it so often that we begin to skim over words that are meant to make us stop and think. Maybe you've heard sermons on "Your kingdom come. Your will be done," or other sermons centered around forgiveness using the section, "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." Those messages are ones that have impacted and continue to impact my life. However, before Jesus gets to those lessons, He teaches us something else to pray. I believe those first two words may be some of the most profound in the entire prayer… “Our Father”.
To us, those words seem completely normal. We've grown up hearing them. But for Jesus' disciples and for anyone that is of another religion today, they are revolutionary. Up until this point, they knew God as Elohim, Adonai, El Shaddai, El, the Almighty Creator, the Holy One. They knew Him as the God who parted the Red Sea, spoke through prophets, and dwelled in glory. Yet when Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray, He doesn't begin by reminding them how powerful God is. Instead, He introduces them to the relationship they were invited into. The Almighty and the Holy One is also their Father. He is Abba.
That word, Abba, carries a closeness that no other title does. It's the language of a child toward a loving father. Think about how astounding that is. The God who spoke galaxies into existence, who holds all creation together, who exists outside of time, whose glory causes heaven to worship without ceasing, and before whom mountains tremble, invites us to know Him intimately. The God who is worthy of all reverence is also the God who welcomes His children into His presence.
John 1:12–13 tells us, "To all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." Through Jesus, we were adopted. He pursued us before we pursued Him. He provided the sacrifice for our sins before we ever realized we needed saving. He made a way for us to come home long before we ever took our first step toward Him. That's what a good Father does. I think one of the most life-changing truths a believer can embrace is not simply that God is all-powerful, but that the all-powerful God calls us His children. That changes the way we pray. It changes the way we worship. It changes the way we face fear, failure, and suffering. We no longer approach God as slaves hoping to gain favor with a distant King. We approach Him as sons and daughters who already have the ear of their Father.
So the next time you pray, don't rush past the opening words of Jesus' prayer. Slow down and remember who you're speaking to. You're not approaching a God who merely tolerates you. You're coming before a Father who knows what you need before you ask, who delights in hearing your voice, and who proved His love by giving His own Son so that you could become His child. Because of Jesus, you are not simply a servant in God's kingdom, you are children in His house. Intimately known by Him. His ear is turned to His children, His arms are open and ready to receive us, and it all starts by knowing Him as Abba.
Written by Molly Kipe
