Matt.6:9,10 – Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
People have some strange ideas about heaven thinking of it as a place above us somewhere with pearly gates, golden streets, and mansions for all of us. When Jesus taught us to pray to our Father in heaven it wasn’t as if we would talk to a God who is far off as if we were texting Him or talking on a phone. Jesus was describing heaven as being in our midst now and the Father being so close to us that He is closer than our skin. So if God is not far off then how can I sense His nearness to me now? It all starts in the place of humility, when I recognize my sin and His love for me revealed in Christ, that’s when I begin to come near to God. Our Father in heaven is my Father and He is here with me now. Here is how Augustine describes the nearness of the kingdom of God.
“Let the new people, therefore, who are called to an eternal inheritance freely employ the word of the New Testament and say, “Our Father who art in heaven,” that is, the place where holiness and justice reign. For God is not contained spatially. The heavens may be in a sense “higher” created bodies of the world, even while remaining created, and so cannot exist apart from some spatial location. But do not think of this spatially, as if the birds are nearer to God than we. It is not written that “the Lord is closer to tall people” or “nearer to those who live on higher hills.” For it is written, “The Lord is near to the broken-hearted and saves the crushed in spirit,” namely, close to those who are humble.”
Most religions teach or imply that only those who attain religious accomplishments qualify to be near to God; that is not the teaching of the Bible. We come near to God by humility and through His great mercy. It’s in those places of contrition that we can see God for ourselves. This is where prayer begins, “Our Father in heaven…”. Suddenly we see that God is near and we are in the kingdom of God right now. When we pray like this we taste the edge of His kingdom now.
1 thought on “OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN”
What an amazing blessing when our Lord Jesus being asked how to pray, said Our Father…. He could have said My Father. But He wrapped us up into His reality and made us one . Thank You beautiful Lord and thank you too Pastor Fisherman