OUR HEAVENLY FATHER [MATTHEW 6:7-15]
If we really want to touch God’s heart in our prayers, Jesus has this tip for each and every one of us: “Be confident that your heavenly Father already knows what’s on your heart. Knowing that even a sparrow does not fall to the ground without God’s knowledge, you can be assured that your heavenly Father knows what you need even before you ask for it” (see Matthew 6:25-34).
God enjoys it when we come to Him with such a confidence and trust. Remember Jesus’ amazement at the faith of the centurion? (Matthew 8:10). Jesus was impressed that this man trusted Him so much that He didn’t need Jesus to come to his house to perform a miracle. Because God loves to provide for us and has planned good things for us, He delights when we come to Him already trusting that He is looking out for us.
Do we sincerely believe that God wants to do more than meet our needs? He wants to have a relationship with each of us. That is why He created us in the first place – to know Him. God is not like an automatic teller machine, where we go to make a withdrawal when we need something. God sent His Son to redeem each of us and bring us into a living and dynamic relationship with Him. He gave you His Spirit to lift us up to his throne every time we pray.
Let us remember the lengths to which our Father in heaven will go to draw us near Him. It’s not uncommon for families to use cell phones to keep in touch with each other during the day. But God gave us His only Son and sent the Holy Spirit so that we can talk to Him more easily than dialing a telephone. When we know God personally, as our Father and Friend, we start to long for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done in our lives. Let us try new ways of prayer that open the door to a relationship with Him. Let us go to Him in honesty and in trust, as His children and as His friends, and ask to know Him more deeply.
Jakarta, 19 June 2014
A Christian Pilgrim
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