Octavius Winslow was a contemporary of Charles Spurgeon in the 1800s. He wrote an excellent devotional book on the Lord’s Prayer, and I noticed that he devoted the first quarter of his book entirely to the opening phrase, “Our Father in heaven.”
Pray, then, in this way:
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be revered as holy. (Matthew 6:9)
Using Winslow’s analysis, try this the next time you pray the Lord’s Prayer: begin by truly focusing on “Father.” Father is more than a title; it reveals the true nature of our relationship with God.
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption.
When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. (Romans 8:15-17)
Our access to God in prayer is rooted in His grace, made possible through the work of His Son and the gift of the Spirit. As you begin your prayer, thank God for what He has done to adopt you into His family, and rely on the Holy Spirit to guide and empower your prayers.
Our Father
When we pray “Our Father,” we recognize that we are part of a multi-racial and multi-national family. If God is our Father, how can I not call you my brother or sister?
If we take our time and think about what we are praying, we can thank God that the good news of His love has reached all races and nationalities throughout the earth.
Unfortunately, differences can easily become divisions. For example, I served churches in the South shortly after desegregation. Some churches had heated arguments over whether to allow African Americans to attend their services. I served alongside a very wise pastor who remarked about a church that split over this issue during a business meeting. He said, “You don’t vote on what is right.”
I was the pastor of a mission church where a significant portion of our ministry was with African Americans. We used the mother church’s gym and integrated the all-white basketball leagues in our area. I had perfect freedom to conduct this ministry because our leadership recognized the OUR in “Our Father.”
As we begin this prayer, we do well to pause and see if our relationships with other followers of Jesus are in a good place. If we need to correct our thoughts toward someone else, the very beginning of our prayer is the perfect place to start.
In Heaven
One of my friends tried to illustrate eternity while preaching one Sunday morning. He bent over and measured about an inch on the stage platform. He said, “This is our life on earth.” Then, he walked the entire length of the platform and said, “And this is only the beginning of eternity.”
As we talk to our Father, we remind ourselves that our ultimate destiny is heaven—an eternity spent with the One who loves us and calls us His children.
I like to think of heaven as an atmosphere. Imagine living and breathing the atmosphere of heaven, which is nothing less than the character of God, perfectly illustrated by the fruit of the Spirit.
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
May I recommend taking some time to meditate on the fact that the very nature of heaven is the character of God? You will never have a moment in heaven where you aren’t surrounded by love, joy, peace, and the reality of God’s nature.
When we pray, “Our Father in heaven,” we remember that God is our Father and we are genuine members of His family. We share this family with believers everywhere, and we are destined to live eternally in an existence defined by God’s magnificent character.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 