Lucas 11

Lucas 11

Sproul - The Jews never addressed God as “Father” in any prayers we have from the ancient world. We have access to many prescribed prayers from the liturgies of the synagogues and temple. The Jews were very concerned to address God in a proper and pleasing fashion, and there were hundreds of phrases of address to him used in these prayers—but nowhere in any of these prayers was God addressed as Father. The Jews did refer to God as “Father of the nation” and “Father of the community” in their prayers, but never did they draw so close as to say “my Father” or “our Father.” Jesus gave his disciples an outline for prayer that begins by assuming an extraordinary familiarity. Jesus himself had been calling God “Father” in every one of his prayers. Now Jesus transfers this privilege to his disciples. As John had taught his disciples to pray, now Jesus teaches his own. The disciple imitates the Master, and for the first time in history, the Master is teaching the disciple to call God “Father.” The first two requests are upward, God-ward, the latter three are man-ward. This is the ideal pattern for prayer, God first, man second. We show by this pattern our main concern is for God. His glory before our needs. Father - When you pray it is not into thin air but to a divine Being. Yes He is invisible but He is omnipresent and you have unlimited entree to His throne room through Jesus. We are never told by Christ or the Scriptures to pray to Mary, the patriarchs, angels, dead relatives, or any other being. When we pray, we are to pray to God and none other. Pray to the Creator not His creation! Play these old Maranatha songs and worship Him in spirit and truth - Cry Out (and don't just sing it, do it!), My God and Father, Abba, Father, Everlasting Father, He Knows My Name. THOUGHT - Does the truth of God as your very own Father undergird your life with Father, as well as your prayer life? Brian Bill - “Father” is probably the most common term we use in prayer, and rightly so, because that is how Jesus addressed His prayers, using the phrase more than 70 different times. The only prayer He ever prayed without using it was when He was on the cross and cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Only in sin-bearing was He separated from the Father....God’s nature is like a daddy but His name is holy. Our open access to God that leads to a close relationship with Him should not destroy our esteem for Him. He is not the “big guy in the sky” or “our buddy.” He is the holy and awesome God of Israel, before whom we should tremble like Isaiah did in Isaiah 6. (Luke 11:1-4 How to Pray the Lord’s Way) Steven