Matthew 6:9-13 NKJV In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Jesus refers to God as our heavenly Father.
He tells us to pray to “Our Father in heaven.” He encourages us to act as “true children of our Father in heaven.” We are instructed to live so that we receive a reward from our Father Who is in heaven. Jesus told us the Father in heaven gives good gifts to those who ask Him. He warns us that only those who do the will of the Father in heaven shall enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus reveals the rewards the heavenly Father gives if we acknowledge Him before men. He tells us the Father in heaven is always looking down on His little ones.
How well do you know God the Father?
We get our impressions about God from many sources. Some of those sources are reliable and some have a skewed view about God the heavenly Father. We have learned about God from family, friends, teachers and from society. We have learned about God from Bible Stories and personal experiences.
What we know about God affects almost every area of our lives. If we have misconceptions about God our Father they will impact the way we live, pray and what we expect. Those misconceptions about God our Father can bring on increased worry or depression. We may feel guilty more often and carry unnecessary burdens if we do not really know our heavenly Father.
Thank God for Jesus, because He came to show us the Father! He came to this world to destroy the stereotypes of God and show us what the heavenly Father is really like. He revealed God as He really is in all of His love, power, mercy and grace. He came to show us the “truth” about God, our Father.
When Jesus spoke about God, He told His followers to think of God as your Father. That is good news! If God is a Father, He is a person and not just a power. We can have intimate fellowship with a Father.
Jesus said that God is a different kind of Father. We should think of God as, “Our Father in heaven.” That phrase does not just tell us where God is, it tells us Who He is. He is different from any other father we have ever known. We need to explore and know what kind of Father He is.
What kind of Father is God?
First, He is a close Father.
Studies indicate that the average father spends about 1% of each day with their children. Some people think that because God is a “heavenly Father” He is distant and detached, but that is not what Jesus said. He is as close as the mention of His Name. He is concerned and caring. He constantly watches over His children.
2 Chronicles 16:9 NKJV For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.
God is so interested in you that He is involved in every aspect and facet of your life.
Acts 17:26-27 NIV From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.
What kind of Father is God?
He is not a distant, detached Father. He is not hidden and uncaring. He says if we seek Him we will find Him. He says that He is not far from us.
Do you know when He likes to get real close? God wants to get close whenever you need Him. When your phone rings in the middle of the night with unexpected news, God – your Father – is there. When your doctor says, “I’m sorry,” God – your Father – is there. Whenever life is about to be changed forever, God – your Father – is there. Whenever your head starts to hurt and your heart starts to break, God – your Father – is there. When the tears refuse to stop, God – your Father – is there.
God your Father is always there when you need Him.
Psalm 34:18 NKJV The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart.
Whenever you have a broken heart, God is near. When everything else fails, God is near. If your life is unraveling, God is near. Our Father in heaven is always “close to the broken-hearted.” He never fails or abandons us in our hour of need.
What kind of Father is God?
First, He is a close Father.
God is not a distant and detached father. He is not hidden and uncaring. Our Father in heaven is always close. He waits for you to call out for Him. He is near to all who call on Him. He waits for you to say: “Father, this is my problem…this is my pain.” He wants you to tell Him how you feel and what you want.
Listen to His promise to you and to me: Psalm 145:18 NKJV The Lord is near to all who call upon Him.
Every loss in our life creates an empty space; but it is a space that God’s presence can fill. Never forget that God is never too busy for you. He has said that He will always be there, especially when we need Him. Your heavenly Father can help when you call.
What kind of Father is God?
First, He is a close Father.
Second, He is a competent Father.
Two kids were arguing on their first day back in school. One said, “Well, my daddy can beat your daddy.” The other replied, “Big deal! So can my mom!”
Our Father in heaven is a very competent Father.
When the Father in heaven revealed Himself to Abraham, He said, “I am God almighty.” [Genesis 17:1 NIV]
When my girls were little they thought I could repair anything. Our oldest daughter enjoyed tearing things apart. She was given a watch, she tore it apart. She was given a radio, she tore it apart. She wasn’t careless; she just wanted to see how they worked. After she got them into small pieces, she would ask Dad to put it back together. Last Father’s Day she said, “I learned so many things tagging along with dad growing up — from using tools, to fixing toilets, to cooking, to interacting with people.”
Is there anything our Heavenly Father cannot do?
After the angel Gabriel told Mary that Elizabeth was going to have a son in her old age, he said, “Nothing is impossible with God,” [Luke 1:37 NIV]. Then God said, “A virgin would conceive…and bear a son.”
The Lord our God is able to do anything.
- What is the biggest problem you could ever face? God has the power to solve it.
- What is the deepest hurt you could ever feel? God has the power to heal it. “For with God nothing will be impossible,” (Luke 1:37 NKJV).
God knows how to deal with all of your issues.
Is there anything God cannot do? It is impossible for us to know everything that God can do!
Ephesians 3:20 NIV “God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.
How competent is our Father in Heaven? Your heavenly Father is able to do immeasurably more.
Did you hear that? He can do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.
How does God do so much more than we can ask or imagine? The verse continues by saying: “(by) His power that is at work within us.” You say you can’t stop worrying or wondering “what if?” You can’t forget the past or face the future. You say there are too many unresolved issues in my life.
You probably can’t solve these things, but God can. God does it by His power that is working within you! Did you hear that? God our Father is personally involved in the affairs of your life.
We need to give up – and give it over to God. He can handle the problems you can’t handle? Our Father in Heaven is competent, but He waits for us to turn to Him for help.
God is close and competent and He is a caring Father.
Psalm 103:13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.”
Does God really care? Does He care about your moods? Does your heavenly Father care about your situation? Does He care about your health? Does God care about your past, present, and future situation? Yes, God your Father really cares.
1 Peter 5:6-7 AMP Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you, Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.
God cares – about every detail of your life. After telling us that God your Father knows when every sparrow falls to the ground, Jesus said the Father knows how many hairs are on your head, (Matthew 10:30). Our heavenly Father knows and cares about every detail of our lives.
How do we know God cares?
There is proof in what the Father did when He sent Jesus to die on a cross. If you look at the empty cross, you will know that the Father loves and cares. The death of His Son is proof of God’s care for you. God cared enough to send His very best. God cared enough to do His very best. God cared enough to restore what we have ruined. God gave His Son so that He could restore us to Himself.
Romans 8:32 Message “If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us…by sending His own Son, is there anything else He wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us?”
- Your Father in heaven is close. He is so close that you can reach out and find Him.
- Your heavenly Father is competent. He is so competent that He can solve any problem you face.
- God your Father is caring. He is so caring that there is nothing He won’t do for you.
God Almighty is the Father who made everything. God the Father loves you. He has a plan for your life. He wants each of you to be a part of His family.
It is also true that everyone is not a child of God.
Jesus was talking to Thomas. John 14:6 NKJV Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
You are not a child of God simply because God created the heaven and earth and all that is in it. You are not a child of God because your parents attended church and trusted in Jesus as their Savior.
Acts 16:31 “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved”
Romans 10:9 “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Acts 3:19 “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.”
There is hope for every one of us. Through Jesus Christ we have been given access to our Heavenly Father.
