When Jesus taught us the Lord’s Prayer, why did he ask us to pray to our Father, who is in heaven?
To start with, it points to his uniqueness as Father. God is not like earthly fathers, who may know how to give good things to their children but are so far from perfect. He is the Father of lights (James 1:17). He is the Father of spirits (Heb. 12:9). He is the Father of glory (Eph. 1:17). Yet at the same time, as we can see from the rest of the prayer, God is not a distant deity. Donald W. Shriver, Jr. calls this ‘the bond of tender supremacy’— a father who is overall and yet close enough to pray to.
The second presupposition of the Lord’s Prayer, as it is throughout the Bible, is that we live in a fallen world. Evil has invaded the world, and the chief cause is the human being. The term the Bible most often uses to describe this evil is sin. The gospel’s good news is that God devised a way for us to return to the unbroken fellowship that Adam and Eve once had. One day, we shall see him face to face.
We may not always understand heaven well. At the ripe old age of 93, a pious grandmother once shockingly confessed that she didn’t want to go to heaven.
“Why?” I asked.
“Well, It seems like it is going to be boring just sitting around on clouds and singing hymns all day.”
She may have had a point, if that is really what heaven is like. Mark Twain once famously quipped that one should choose, “heaven for the climate, hell for the company.”
But this brings us to a third point as we pray to our Father, who is in heaven. If that is where our Father is, then we also are citizens of heaven. We aren’t going for the harp lessons or cloud surfing. We are sons and daughters of the King and we want to be where He is.
One day, at the resurrection, we shall be there with Him fully and perfectly. In the letter to the Ephesians, the heavens are where Christ went after his resurrection and ascension, where he now sits at God’s right hand and rules over every power and name (Eph. 1:20–21). God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Christ in the heavens (2:6).
In the end, believers will enjoy the new heavens and the new earth (Isa. 66:22). There will be the New Jerusalem, which has the tree of life available for the nations (Rev. 22:2). Of course, the most important feature of the new heavens and the new earth is the presence of the Father, by whose light all the nations will walk (Rev. 21:22–24). God’s servants will see his face there (Rev. 22:4).
Our Father is present in heaven. That makes it a place that all those of faith long to be as we pray, expectantly, “Our Father, who is in heaven.”
Please thank God For: The mision group who flew in from different parts of the country to reach out to the community in the name of Jesus.
Please Pray For: Sunshine Elementary, their principle and staff as we continue develop a new relationship with them.
Please Pray: that every church will be vibrant, filled with the power and working of Your Holy Spirit.
Please Pray For: Kathy Duitsman, who has breast cancer.
Please Pray For: Joshua Recker, whose tumors have continued to grow rapidly.
Please Pray For: Maxine as she prepares to give birth after several miscarriages.
Please Pray For: Marion who fell, as she continues her treatment in a rehab center.
Please Pray For: Julie who is battling brain cancer and 4 additional tumors.
Please Thank God For: all the students in our afterschool program as they prepare for the end of the school year.
Please Pray For: Martia Thomas who is being treated for bone cancer.
Please Thank God For: A safe return from Alaska for Jeff and Terri.
Please Pray For: The family of Gary Casino at his passing.
Please Pray For: That God would Strengthen our relationships.
Please Thank God For: The health of all the other congregations that worship in our facilities.
Please Pray For: Tom Sheba who is on a ventilator.
Please Pray For: Joe and his struggles with addiction.
Please Pray For: Those who struggle with housing needs.
Please Thank God For: all those who are out of work.
Please Pray For: Will who is involved in addiction and witchcraft.
