Our Father

God is our Father. Prayer is one of the ways we develop a relationship with Him. It's about time and proximity.

Proximity becomes the priority. What's near to you will be shaped by you. There's a closeness, comfort, and confidence that it produced. Kids yearn to be close to their fathers.

In a study completed in 2019, 1/4 of adults say that they have no religious affiliation and most say they never pray. Not surprisingly, there has been a massive increase in anxiety and depression. Prayer has enormous benefits on many levels, but greatly on our physical bodies. People who pray have lower blood pressure and lower rates of depression and anxiety.

We're built for proximity to God.

We don't function right when we aren't close to Him. We're not who we're meant to be apart from Him.

How many prayers are stolen by social media? We used to linger and talk to God when we lay in bed at night, drove in the car, or walked around. Now, that has been replaced by constant comparison and negativity, and it's hurting us.

Jesus wants us to walk with the Father and be close with Him, just like He was.

Things NOT to do:

1) Don't make it a show. See Matthew 6:5

The issue isn't praying in public, the issue is the motive of wanting to be seen by others. It's a heartless exploitation rather than deeply wanting to know God. These people are using spirituality to prop up how they look in front of people. A modern translation of this verse could be: God doesn't mind if you post about going to church today, but if you do it for the post, you have received your reward in full. God desires honest pursuit. See Matthew 6:6

2) Don't try and manipulate.

Jesus warns against mindlessly speaking or using a bunch of words to try and sway God. See Matthew 6:7-8. Avoid trying over and over to get what you want. It's like when a child frantically asks their father over and over for a snack. It's an assault on his character. He knows what they need before they even ask.

Things TO do:

1) See God as a Father.

Intimacy with Him changes us. Nearness to Him is for our good. He doesn't want His children talking to Him because they have to or desperately claw at Him as if He isn't going to meet their needs.

The fatherless generation has a hard time with this, But God is the perfect Father. Fathers are meant to combine strength and love, power and legitimate concern. We all long for this. It makes us stable.

If we view God like that, our anxiety will decrease. We know He loves us and will meet our needs. We'd be less depressed because we know that God is committed to us. A reticence, or shyness, to come before God keeps us locked up in despair and doubt.

2) Spend time alone in silence with God.

A lot of people don't pray because they can't stand the silence. We feel guilty, so we don't want to be alone with God. This only happens when we don't know God's character. God hates what we do, but loves us, just like a dad. His character is that He is strong and loving; wrathful, but forgiving; righteous, but full of mercy to those who confess and forsake their sin.

God, as a Father, is strong enough to protect us. He loves us enough to want to. He's wise enough to know how. This is who He is and why Jesus tells us to "hallow" or "set apart", to believe in His Name, in His character. His character is true, good, and trustworthy. God doesn't need us to hallow His name, but it's good for us. He wants us to honor Him because we believe that His heart for us is good. He wants us to enjoy Him because being with Him is where we want to be. He delights in us.

The more you press into God, the more sure you'll find Him to be.

Prayer can out start awkward, but over time you'll start enjoying it. You'll want to find Him.

The comfort of the Father is for the children. Galatians 4:4-7 tells us we have been adopted as sons through Jesus. We have access to the Father! The love of the Father comes to us through His Son.