Our Father
Theme of the week: How to Talk to God
Monday, December 3, 2012
 1 of 1
Key Bible Verses: You received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, "Abba, Father." For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. (Romans 8:15-16) Dig Deeper: Galatians 4:4-7
Notice how Jesus begins his instruction on prayer. The first thing he teaches us to do is connect with God relationally: our Father who is in heaven. It's so important when we enter into our prayer time that we do as Jesus does and begin by calling God something that's endearing. So often we treat him like some distant, impersonal machine: "Oh, great and mighty God, we give Thee thanks … " Jesus [tells us to] begin with the assurance that God is our Father and loves us like a daddy loves his children. He wants to be in this relationship with us, not just as our God but as our Father.
Once we've established our relationship with God, Jesus tells us to honor our Father's name—"Hallowed be thy name." God's names have incredible power—each one expresses a different facet of his magnificent being. He is our Peace, our Protector, our Provider, and the list goes on and on. Each name carries with it a reminder of the distinct benefits we have in that aspect of God's relationship with us. We call out to him and we remember that he is a God who provides, a God who gives shelter, comfort, and the peace that passes understanding.
—Chris Hodges in Fresh Air
My Response: How might reflecting on the names of God shape how I approach prayer?
Adapted from Fresh Air (Tyndale, 2012) by permission. All rights reserved by the copyright holder and/or the publisher. May not be reproduced.
Copyright © 2012 by Christianity Today/Men of Integrity magazine. Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity. 1 of 1
 share this page
Heavenly Father, teach me to pray with wisdom, grace, compassion, conviction, and humility.
Men of Integrity
Connect with God | Transform my Mind | Live by His Power
Relate Better | Make an Impact
Home | Archives | Contact Us
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Try an Issue of Men of Integrity
Free!
|
 |
|
No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. Click here for Canadian Orders.
If you decide you want to keep Men of Integrity coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive five more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The trial issue is yours to keep, regardless.
Give Men of Integrity as a gift
Buy 1 gift subscription, get 1 FREE!
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
| |
|
RSS Feed
