Yeshua’s disciples came and asked him to teach them to pray. Here is Yeshua’s response to his disciples; his response for all who follow him.
His first words instruct us to pray to “Our Father...”
“Our”….a mutually possessive word for belonging to us or connected to us.
This single word has unimaginable consequences. In speaking this word, Yeshua is making his disciples, and all followers, equal to himself. He does not say pray to “My Father” or even “The Father” but to “Our Father.” He is announcing his followers co-heirs to his kingdom. Not subjects or members or participants or guests; but co-owners. He is identifying us as his brothers and sisters in God’s family. We are given the same rights and privileges that he himself possesses. This single word has phenomenal implications, probably beyond our earthly understanding. We may never grasp the magnitude of this gift, but He has promised we can experience it.
The second word is “Father”:
We are not told to embrace him as a king, though he surely is King. We are not told to address a remote, faceless spirit; nor some universal concept of goodness. He is not some cold and impersonal natural process nor is he loving, but absent. No, we are instead instructed to address a loving mentor, one who always has time for his children, one who relishes their attention. A person who can give both commendation and discipline with great love. One who is selfless, approachable, who pursues holiness with vigor and provides for his children in every realm of their lives.
“Our Father.” Two little simple words we can easily skip over all too quickly, almost without thought…
His first words instruct us to pray to “Our Father...”
“Our”….a mutually possessive word for belonging to us or connected to us.
This single word has unimaginable consequences. In speaking this word, Yeshua is making his disciples, and all followers, equal to himself. He does not say pray to “My Father” or even “The Father” but to “Our Father.” He is announcing his followers co-heirs to his kingdom. Not subjects or members or participants or guests; but co-owners. He is identifying us as his brothers and sisters in God’s family. We are given the same rights and privileges that he himself possesses. This single word has phenomenal implications, probably beyond our earthly understanding. We may never grasp the magnitude of this gift, but He has promised we can experience it.
The second word is “Father”:
We are not told to embrace him as a king, though he surely is King. We are not told to address a remote, faceless spirit; nor some universal concept of goodness. He is not some cold and impersonal natural process nor is he loving, but absent. No, we are instead instructed to address a loving mentor, one who always has time for his children, one who relishes their attention. A person who can give both commendation and discipline with great love. One who is selfless, approachable, who pursues holiness with vigor and provides for his children in every realm of their lives.
“Our Father.” Two little simple words we can easily skip over all too quickly, almost without thought…
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