"Our Father in heaven..." Matt. 6:9
These words are so familiar but like so many things we see regularly, they can lose their impact. Here Jesus teaches us that these words should characterise our starting point for communicating with God. The power of the revolutionary new perspective Jesus gave us for how we should approach God should not be underestimated.
God is not some disinterested distant deity - He is our Father. This is the primary place from which all our interaction with God should flow. We are His children and as such we can approach Him, not as slaves trying to earn His approval but with confidence in the intimate relationship we have with our Father.
There’s more - He is in heaven - His position, His perspective is completely different to ours. His view of our situation is unimpaired by the seeming impenetrable mountains in our path. We are encouraged to lift our eyes upwards. This world is not all there is and there is a bigger plan and future for you.
Whatever happens today, the things you will see, the people you will interact with and the decisions you will make – it all takes on a different meaning when we bring them to our Father in heaven.
We are God’s children and His perspective is the only one that really matters. Take time now to stop and think on this – Your Father is in heaven!