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OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN.
In the name + of Jesus.
To my knowledge, every religion in the
world has prayer. That is no
surprise. Prayer is an act of worship in
which we call upon God for hope, for help, and for healing. We pray because we recognize our limitations. We do not have the power to create our own
blessings or to fix our problems. We are
compelled to call on a power greater than ourselves for aid.
Consider the prayer in Psalm 123: “To
you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the
hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he has mercy upon us. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy
upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt. Our soul has had more than enough of the
scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.”
This prayer was uttered by a person who had
no power or hope to change anything. So,
he called upon the Lord to hear him.
All people call upon their god or gods to
help them. But that does not mean that the
Lord, the only true God, acknowledges every prayer that is uttered. In the days of Elijah, the people of Israel
hemmed and hawed over whom they would honor as God. They wavered between the Lord and the Canaanite
fertility god. Elijah confronted the people,
insisting that there is one God. Whom
would they serve—the Lord or Baal?
Again, the people hemmed and hawed.
They would side with whoever gave them what they wanted.
Elijah proposed a showdown. He told the prophets of Baal to build an
altar and to pray to Baal to consume it with fire. He would do the same with the Lord. He said, “‘You call upon the name of your
god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God
who answers by fire, he is God.’” And all the people answered, “‘It is
well spoken’” (1 Kings 18:24). The
prophets of Baal prayed frantically to their god. They danced around their altar all day. They even slashed themselves with knives to provoke
some sympathetic response. But no one
answered because Baal is not real.
Now, you cannot deny the sincerity, the
passion, or the dedication by the prophets of Baal. They were completely invested in their
prayers. But the Lord is not moved by sincerity,
posture, or passion. The prophet Isaiah
tells us why: “Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your
God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear”
(Isaiah 59:2). Sin hides God’s face so
that he does not hear prayers, no matter how religious they appear. This is why God does not honor the prayers of
Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, and others.
They deny Jesus Christ. They reject
the one who delivers people from sin. As
a result, their iniquities remain; their separation from God remains. The Father does not recognize them or their
prayers.
Are we any better? No! Even
when we have unlimited access to the heavenly throne, you and I have dishonored
the Lord with hearts that are faster to criticize him than to call upon him. Consider how you have responded to God’s promises
and goodness. Do your prayers give thanks
to the Lord for his generous gifts, or are they a continual list of what you
want next? Do you quickly take matters
to your Father in prayer, or is he a last resort? When God’s answer does not match your
request, do you cast blame? Do you question
his compassion, saying, “If God really cares, he would have done such and such”? Do you tell people that you will pray for them,
only to have that promise amount to happy words with no prayers offered? Our prayers do not honor the Father the way they
should. Repent.
As a perfectly obedient son, Jesus prayed
often, and often for great lengths of time.
God the Father was pleased with his Son.
He heard his prayers and provided strength and comfort. Once when Jesus concluded his prayers, “one
of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his
disciples’” (Luke 11:1). Jesus could
have said, “Why should the Father listen to your prayers?” Now, that would have been cruel, but it would
not necessarily have been wrong. Why should
God honor the prayers of those who dishonor him? But Jesus did not come to keep sinners separated
from God; he came to bring them into God’s family. So, Jesus taught his disciples how to pray. He began by teaching us to address the Lord
as “our Father.”
He is your Father not only because he has created
you, but especially because he has redeemed you. The Father’s love is made known by sending
his only begotten Son to reconcile you to the Father and to bring you into his
family. Even while Jesus was suffering
under God’s wrath for sins he did not commit, Jesus’ prayers were perfect. In pure love and immeasurable compassion, Jesus
prayed for those who were crucifying him: “Father, forgive them, for they do
not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).
Jesus prayed for the salvation of sinners. Then, to secure that salvation, Jesus died as
a sin offering for you.
In bearing your sins, Jesus was forsaken
by the Father. He cried out the lament
of Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1; Mark
15:34). Isaiah told us why: “Your
iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have
hidden his face from you so that he does not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). Sin had separated Jesus from his Father. The Father turned a deaf ear to Jesus’ prayer
for relief. Jesus drank the cup of the
Father’s wrath down to its dregs. By his
perfect sacrificial death, Jesus removed your sins from you. And if your sins have been taken away, then
nothing separates you from the Father anymore.
This is why Jesus teaches you to pray, “Our
Father.” For, you have been adopted into
God’s family through your baptism. For,
this is what the Lord says: “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ
Jesus. Indeed, as many of you as were
baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27). So, the Father does not see your sins; he
sees the righteousness of Jesus covering you.
And while he remains the all-powerful, all-glorious, and all-supreme
God, we do not need to fear him. St.
Paul wrote, “All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of
God. 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’” (Romans 8:14-15)! Abba is a
term that is used by a child who calls to his father. It is a term of familial affection. The child does not live in terror of his
father. He recognizes that his father is
there to provide, to protect, and to preserve him. So, he runs to his father with joy. He is excited to see him and talk to
him. When he is afraid or hurt, he will
seek refuge in his father’s arms. He does
this because he loves and trusts his father.
Parents love their children and want to do
what is best for them. When you were
little, you took all your concerns to your parents. That was the right thing to do, and your
parents wanted you to do that. They
wanted to do what was best for you and to give you what you needed to thrive. But parents have limitations. They are limited in knowledge. They make their decisions based on the information
they have, but they cannot know the future.
Circumstances can change, making some decisions seem foolish. How often have we said, “If I had known that
would happen, I would have done something else”? Likewise, parents are limited in power. They might want to fix the problem. If the problem is beyond their abilities, they
will call upon doctors, mechanics, or therapists. But parents can only do so much. This frustrates parents and children
alike.
God the
Father, however, has no limitations.
Psalm 115 teaches us, “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he
pleases” (Psalm 115:3). God can do
whatever he wants. He is not limited by
knowledge. God knows all things. No circumstance will ever take God by surprise
so that he would wish he would have made a better decision. God is not limited by wisdom. His plans are perfectly crafted for your
eternal good. God is not limited by
love. Everything your Father in heaven
does is for your good. God is not
limited by power or resources. If he can
command the wind and the waves, if he can annually provide food for billions,
if he can raise the dead, then there is nothing beyond his ability to help you. This is why the Bible summons you, “Cast
all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Your Father not only cares, he can do immeasurably
more than you can ask or imagine.
In
his explanation of this first phrase of the Lord’s Prayer, Martin Luther wrote,
“God tenderly invites us to believe that he is our true Father and that we
are his true children, so that we may pray to him as boldly and confidently as dear
children ask their dear father” (Luther’s Small Catechism; Lord’s Prayer). Children are bold in asking their parents for
anything. In the same way, you can ask your
heavenly Father for anything. You can boldly
ask for the impossible. And you do not
annoy him when you ask for the insignificant.
He is not a distant God who is disinterested in you. You do not have to pester him until he finally
gives in. He is your Father. He delights in hearing your prayers. He glories in being the Father who provides,
protects, and preserves you.
Our Father in heaven can do whatever he
wants to supply your need. But understand
this: While God can do whatever he wants, that does not mean he will do
whatever we want. Our goals are
often short-term goals. “Take away my
pain. Resolve my financial
struggles. Fix my marriage. Help my child get along with the neighbors.” These are all good reasons to pray. But our Father’s goal for us is always long-term. His goal is that we enjoy our eternity in his
kingdom. So, he may have us struggle, endure,
or battle for the short-term if this is what serves our ultimate good. But if he chooses to discipline us through
suffering or endurance, he will also grant us strength when we call upon
him. And he will be with us through it
all.
It is truly good and right that we should at all times and in all places call upon our Father in heaven. He is the giver of every good and perfect gift. He is the omnipotent, omniscient, loving, and merciful God who works all things for our eternal good. He is the God who sent his Son to save sinners, and who sent his Holy Spirit to bring you into his family. He is your dear Father. You are his dear children. Your prayers are pleasing and important to him, for Jesus Christ has made you pleasing and important to him.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
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