Matt. 6:9 You then pray in this way: Our Father who is in the heavens, Your name be sanctified. John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God, to those who believe into His name, (13) Who were begotten not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
The Lord said, "You then pray in this way." He did not say to pray with these words. If He had, all we would have to do is repeat these words every time we prayed. No, this is not what the Lord meant. The Lord meant that we should pray in this way. Many people pay attention to their needs; they do not pay attention to God's needs. This is why the Lord opened His mouth and told us to "pray in this way." To "pray in this way" is something very significant, great, and profound. Brothers and sisters, if we want to learn to pray at all, we have to learn to "pray in this way." This was the first time since God came down to earth to become a man that He told us how to pray and how to pray in a concise way. The Lord told us that we have to pray to "our Father who is in the heavens." "Father" is a title, a new name by which man addresses God. Prior to this, man called God "the Almighty," "the Most High," "the living God," or "Jehovah." No one dared to call God the "Father." This was the first time the word "Father" was used. This shows us clearly that this prayer is for saved ones, those who have eternal life already. When a man is saved, he can call God the Father. Only those who are begotten of God are the children of God, and only they can call God the Father. This prayer is directed toward "our Father who is in the heavens." How sweet this is and what a great comfort it is. Originally, only our Lord Jesus could call God the Father. But in these verses, He instructed us to call God our Father. This is a great revelation. Thank God that His Son has died and risen for us so that we can become God's children and receive a new position. From now on we can pray to our Father who is in the heavens. How intimate, free, and uplifting this is. May the Spirit of the Lord teach us more and more to know that God is our Father and to believe that the Father is loving and patient. Not only does He want to hear our prayer; He also wants us to share the joy of prayer.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from "The Prayer Ministry of the Church" in the Collected Works of Watchman Nee, Vol. 22, pp. 161-162. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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