Your holy Father

Read Matthew 6:9

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Jesus has made clear the way to approach prayer (6:5-8) but what should we pray about? We need to ask, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Lk.11:1-4). Jesus gave the Lord’s Prayer to his disciples in response to that request, to use as a prayer guide: “This is how you should pray”. Not only as a prayer, but as a model agenda for our praying.

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He has just emphasised that God’s Fatherhood is at the heart of the right approach to prayer (6,8) so it’s no surprise that that’s where our praying begins – consciously drawing near to our heavenly Father. Understanding this about God is central to what Jesus came to reveal. God is both his Father and our Father too (Jn.20:17). That’s a relationship of warmth and love, as seen in the Aramaic word Abba which Jewish children both then and now use for their dad (Mk.14:36; Rom.8:15-16; Gal.4:6-7).

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So begin prayer by turning your mind and heart to your Father, reflecting on his delight when you, his child, draw near to spend time with him (Lk.11:11-13). Come to him with confidence that you are loved and accepted (Eph.1:3). But remember too that he is holy, always worthy of reverence and awe (Is.57:15). Like Jesus, we pray to a “Holy Father” (Jn.17:11).