God's Presence Matthew 6:9

Our Father who is in heaven,



Here we find Jesus’ model prayer that He taught His disciples to pray. He said, “In this manner, therefore, pray:” The first thing that we need to notice is this prayer is addressed to the Father. God is always present with His children. He may be in heaven but He is ever present with us as His children. As a father, He is always looking out for us. He wants to meet every single need that you and I have. God wants to make our lives the absolute best that they can possibly be. Of all the special names that the Bible uses to describe God for us, Jesus uses this name in the model prayer to portray the special relationship that God wants to have with each of us.

There is a second thing that is important to see. Jesus did not say, “My Father.” He said, “Our Father.” When an individual opens his or her heart to the Lord and becomes part of God’s forever family, God becomes “our Father.” He becomes our Father just as He was Jesus’ Father. We become heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus and we are adopted into God’s precious family forever. There is no relationship that is any more important nor any more special than the relationship that is ours in Christ Jesus and that is no better demonstrated than right here as Jesus teaches us to pray, “Our Father.”

Our Father is in heaven. Jesus tells us that. However, He is as I said a moment ago ever present with us. He is in heaven ready to open the windows of heaven for us to bless us and protect us as we seek to walk with Him. As you and I choose to walk with the Lord according to the instruction found in His precious Word, God is able to be our Father and He is able to do things in us and for us that we can not begin to imagine.

What a tremendous privilege and blessing it is indeed to be able to call God “Our Father.” God’s presence is available to us all at any and every moment in our lives. It is no wonder that Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father who is in heaven.” What a wonderful privilege it is to know that He is ours and we are His!


><> Pastor Bob