Matthew 6:5-13 "When you

pray, you are not to be like the

hypocrites; for they love to
stand and pray in the
synagogues and on the street
corners so that they may be
seen by men Truly I say to
you, they have their reward in
6 "But you, when you pray, go
into your inner room, close
your door and pray to your
Father who is in secret, and
your Father who sees what is
done in secret will reward you.
7 "And when you are praying, do
not use meaningless repetition
as the Gentiles do, for they
suppose that they will be heard
for their many words. 8 "So do
not be like them; for your Father
knows what you need before you
ask Him.
9 "Pray, then, in this way:
Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 'Your kingdom come Your
will be done, On earth as it is
in heaven.
Our Father
Our Relationship with
God in Prayer
11 Give us this day our daily
bread. 12 'And forgive us our
debts, as we also have forgiven
our debtors. 13 'And do not lead
us into temptation, but deliver us
from evil. For Yours is the
kingdom and the power and the
glory forever. Amen.’
Prayer begins
with a invitation
to relationship.
Prayer creates a
relationship.
Prayer builds a
relationship.
Prayer sustains
a relationship.
The prayer that
Jesus taught his
disciples to pray
starts with two
relationships.
OUR
Our age of
independence is
directly
confronted with
this word.
God relates to me
and can be called
“mine.”
But not exclusively
“mine.”
God is “ours”
Because God is
ours we belong to
each other.
This beginning word of the
Lord’s Prayer means that
God not only hears my
prayer and hears your
prayer but most
importantly hears OUR
prayer.
God delights in us
understanding that
we not only are in
need of Him but also
in need of each
other.
This has at least three
things to tell us.
1. Prayer is a shared
experience.
1. Prayer is a shared
experience.
2. Prayer is to be
done with others in
mind.
1. Prayer is a shared
experience.
2. Prayer is to always be
done with others in mind.
3. Prayer builds unity in
the body of Christ.
1. Prayer is a shared experience

The most precious times of

fellowship with others in my
life have been when we
prayed together.
2. Prayer is to be done with
others in mind:
I find that when I pray with
others either with me or
consciously in my thoughts
my prayers are less self
centered and God more often
answers them.
3. Prayer builds unity in the
body of Christ.

I have found it very hard to

live in hardness of heart
towards others when I pray
with or for them.
One of the first questions I
ask of couples when they
come to Carie and I for help
in their marriages is “Do you
pray with and for each other.”
Sadly in most cases the
answer is no.
This is one of the most
important reasons their
hearts are no longer soft
towards each other.
It is also one of the most
important ways they can
rebuild kindness in their
hearts toward each other.
Prayer can be the most
intimate shared act between
human beings.
We can even share physical
intimacy with each other and
still have a closed, selfish
heart.
But it is almost impossible to
sincerely pray with and for
each other and remain
alienated.
The “Our” in the Lord’s
prayer is the invitation and
the power to create, build
and sustain not only a
relationship with God but a
relationship with each other.
The second word is one
which, though for almost two
thousand years was not
considered controversial, for
some today is.
Father
Some find naming God
Father is sexist, authoritarian
and demeaning to women.
Because God created
humans in His image as
male and female we know
that God in essence is not
exclusively male or female.
Both men and women fully
express God’s image.
Women do not express only
the feminine aspects of God.

Men do not express only the

masculine aspects of God.
Each person when they are
in full relationship with God
express Him fully no matter
what their sex is.
Yet God is called Father by
Jesus.

Jesus tells us to call Him

Father.
As I have asked God to help
me understand why Jesus
and the other writers of the
Bible have predominately
called Him Father I have
found some answers which I
believe are very helpful.
First of all if a child has a
problem with a parent it is
most likely with their father.
There are mothers who
abandon their children but in
comparison to fathers their
number is very small.
God wants for children to
have a healthy relationship
with both parents. Except in
rare cases the most likely
relationship to be unhealthy
is the father - child
relationship.
Malachi 4:5
"Behold, I am
going to send
you Elijah the
prophet before
the coming of
the great and
terrible day of
the LORD.
Malachi 4:6 "He will
restore the hearts
of the fathers to
their children and
the hearts of the
children to their
fathers, so that I
will not come and
smite the land with
a curse."
The last words of the Old
Testament are concerning
the relationship of Fathers
with their Children
They give us
some idea
of the
importance
of a father
in a child’s
life.
I believe one reason God
identifies Himself as Father is
to give us fathers a clear
image that we can follow to
become the kind of fathers
that will bless our spouses
and our children.
As a teacher I see the result of
fatherlessness on a daily
basis. It is why I am so glad
to be working with young
children to hopefully give
them a positive image of
masculinity – like God did
when He identified himself as
Father to me.
I was fatherless when it was
beyond rare to be so.
That God revealed Himself to
me as Father did not demean
women in my sight. It gave
me hope that I could
overcome my fatherlessness
and one day be a father who
would bless my own children
in a way I had not known.
I could give many other
reasons I have found in my
search for understanding of
God’s revelation as Father
but this one alone is enough
to understand it as not being
sexist, authoritarian or
demeaning women.
When I come in prayer to God
as Father I understand that
He has in His heart at least
three elements that are
meant to be the gifts I as a
father are to give to my
children.
THE GIFTS OF
A FATHER
PROVISION
PROVISION
PROTECTION
PROVISION
PROTECTION
PRESENCE
PROVISION
PROVISION

James 1:17 Every good thing given and

every perfect gift is from above, coming
down from the Father of lights, with whom
there is no variation or shifting shadow.
PROVISION

Proverbs 19:14
House and wealth are an
inheritance from fathers,
Protection
John 3:16 "For God
so loved the world,
that He gave His
only begotten Son,
that whoever
believes in Him
shall not perish, but
have eternal life.
John 3:17 "For God
did not send the
Son into the world
to judge the world,
but that the world
might be saved
through Him.
Presence
Hebrews 13:5
"I WILL NEVER
DESERT YOU,
NOR WILL I
EVER FORSAKE
YOU,"
You might say that mothers
as well as fathers are to give
these gifts. That is absolutely
correct.
Imagine if every child on
earth had a mother and
father who consistently gave
provision, protection and
their kind, loving presence to
their children.
The world would be a so
much healthier, safer and
kinder place for children to
live in.
When we come to God in
prayer as Father we find all
three given fully in Him.
When I first prayed this
prayer I too had to deal with
a memory of abandonment
from a father.
Today the prayer is so
powerful because I know
God meets me as the most
kind, concerned and caring
being in the universe.
Not just to me…..

But to everyone who will call

upon Him in prayer.
That is why I love to pray the
first two words of Jesus’
prayer…..
OUR FATHER