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What is the first thing Jesus
taught His
disciples about prayer?
Message
#11 (of 20) from the PrayerPower radio series
Jesus’ first teaching on prayer to His disciples was His model prayer, sometimes called the Lord’s prayer, in the Sermon on the Mount [Matthew 6:9-13]. He repeated this pattern for our prayers in Luke 11 [Luke 11:2-4] beginning with, "Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name...." [Matthew 6:9].How significant--for in the Old Testament, God was never addressed as Father. Jesus had earlier told the woman at the well that the time was coming when true worshipers would worship the Father in spirit and in truth [John 4:23, emphasis added]. He had previously identified God as His Father [Luke 2:49, John 2:16], but with this model prayer, He was clearly teaching the disciples that God is their Father too.We’re to address God as "Our Father" and to "hallow"--to reverence or honor--His name. Of all God’s names, could any be more personally meaningful than Father? To think that Elohim, our Creator; that El Elyon, our Most High God; that Adonai, our Lord and Master, would allow us to be His children is more than we can fully grasp. How could we call Him Father without a profound sense of worship? Worship at its highest level is an expression of our love, an acknowledgment of all that God is and all that He means to us. We begin by calling Him Father, and trying to comprehend what it means.
Pray with me now -- Father, words fail when we try to express the amazement we feel in knowing You have made us Your children. Read our hearts, in Jesus’ name, amen.
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