Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Matthew 6:9b
Dear Heavenly Parent, I am so glad to be able to belong to You by creation and redemption. Please help me never to forget whose child I am. This I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
In this world where we are bombarded by the media, and where everyone is trying to sell us some item that will help us to improve who we are, how we look, our financial situation, our relationships, and the list gets longer by the minute; it is a good idea to stop each day for some thoughtful reflection on: Who am I? and Whose am I?
Perhaps we never gave too much importance to the answer to these questions before; but as we begin this new year it might help us to do so.
The first statement in the prayer that we usually refer to as “The Lord’s Prayer”, is laden with some wonderful news! Jesus’ Father is your father and mine! If we can remember this, people will not be able to affect us negatively or otherwise, by their definition of who they perceive us to be.
What greater privilege could be ours than to have Jesus, as our Big Brother to defend us from the wiles of the “Adversary the devil”, who is really the one behind all the negativity, all the bullying, all the disappointments and frustrations, accusations, we face from day to day. He already won the fight on our behalf. The key is to remember this!
Our Father is in heaven, but He is only a prayer away, whenever we need Him! I know that at times it does not seem that way, but that’s the way it is, because our Father cannot lie (Numbers 23:19), and He has promised to be with us always (Matthew 28: 20). He will never leave us nor forsake us! That is a promise we can take to the bank!
Our Heavenly Father is holy. His name is to be revered. It is not only revered by the way we say it, but more so by the way we carry it in our daily lives as His children. When people look at us from day to day, do we remind them of our Heavenly Parent? Can they say he, she, is a chip off of the Old Block – the Rock of Ages? Do we love one another the way He has loved us?
Today is a good day to start drawing closer to our Heavenly Father. He is already drawn us with His cord of love (Jeremiah 31:3)!
We will continue this conversation.