READ: John 16:16-28
Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. – John 16: 23b
The first thing that the Lord Jesus teaches about our prayer is to address the Lord God as “our Father.” This is not an obvious choice. If you look at the prayers in the Old Testament, such as those of David, Daniel, and Nehemiah, this address of “Father” is missing. However, God is invoked with all reverence and humility as LORD, God of the covenant, and as the almighty Creator of heaven and earth. God’s face was also sought in dependence, and petitioners pled for His faithfulness to His promises. But the Lord Jesus’ atoning sacrifice on the cross brings us back to God as our Father and makes us God’s children again! Through Him, we may have fellowship with God. Jesus also gives us this privilege through His Word and Spirit.
The disciples were especially comforted by this address after Christ’s resurrection. They could now go directly to God the Father with all of their gratefulness and needs. Remember what He said to Mary Magdalene after His resurrection: “I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God” (Jn. 20:17).
Through His Spirit, He now always lets us know that we are “children of God.” It is His Spirit through whom we cry: Abba, Father! (Rom. 8:16:17). That we pray to God as Father is therefore the work of Jesus Christ. His name itself is not mentioned in the Lord’s Prayer, yet His work is involved in every petition. We can never call upon God as Father if we did not do so “in the name of Jesus Christ,” in conscious communion with Him as our Savior. He Himself is the guarantee that God as Father will give us everything we need in the service of His Kingdom.
Is there trepidation to call God Father?
Singing: Ps. 103:5