Matthew 6:9a Our Father in Heaven …
This section is the address. We are acknowledging Who we are talking to. These four words contain a great deal of meaning and information.
The first word is “our”. God is OUR God. Not in the sense of possession but as in plural. He is the God of all Christians. He may not be the god of everyone who calls themselves a Christian but He is the God of all true Christians. That is important because there is great variety in the Church. There are many different beliefs and interpretation yet only one true God.
Godly men and women are present in many different denominations and Church styles. While there are a few central core beliefs that they all must share to be truly Christian there are numerous areas of difference, and disagreement. Yet, we all worship, and belong to, the same God! Therefore, I believe the few core doctrines are much more important than the areas of contention and controversy.
The conservative Southern Baptist and the Charismatic or Pentecostal have different styles of worship. They have differing areas of emphasis and different biblical interpretation. Yet God accepts their worship and honors each’s desire to love Him and grow closer to Him. If God accepts all of His children, should we not be more accepting of each other.
Speaking of Children … the second word is “Father”. God is our Father. We have many relationships with God. There is master/servant, king/subject, shepherd/sheep and creator/creation to name some. The relationship stressed here is Father/child. To understand the depth of this term we need to understand what a father was in Jesus day.
A father created his children so he was creator. He was the undisputed head of his household and had authority over all that was in it (king and master). He was responsible to guide and protect his family as a shepherd guides and protects the sheep. The term Father is the culmination of all of the other relationships. Yet there is more. A father loves his children. God loves us.
While not diminishing the absolute truth that God loves His children, the Church in America is too often guilty of stressing the love portion of God’s character and relationship with us. They do this while minimizing His authority over every aspect of His children’s lives and almost ignoring His chastening. A father that really loves His children set rules for behavior and will discipline them for their own good. God is the perfect Father who loves and cares for His children enough to guide, and when necessary punish, them for their own good.
Finally, God is our Father “in Heaven”. Everything in Heaven is pure and perfect. This is especially true of God. He is perfect so His ways are perfect. God’s commands are perfect. His guidance leads us down the perfect path for us. His discipline is perfectly administered in the perfect amount to achieve the best possible results.
We can trust and obey God because He is perfect. We can love and respect other Christians who are different than us because their God is perfect. We can stop hiding our weaknesses because his perfection is made manifest in our weakness.
God is our Father in heaven.
Dearest Heavenly Father. Please grant me clarity, discernment, and insight so that I will understand who and what you are to the extent that my humanity-limited mind can grasp it. Thank you for calling me to be Your child and for calling my brothers and sisters around the world. Cause me to love them despite our differences because we all have the same Father. Let us collectively live in a manner that honors and glorifies You!