January 2018
The Lord’s prayer, begins with the words “Our Father”! What a wonderful way to address God and to pray to Him.
The Aramaic word Abba shows that this is a very close relationship between God and us, for the word Abba means Daddy or Dad in English. The words used by children when talking to or about their human father. It is an intimate and trusting way for a child to address it’s father. So much so that it would sound odd to an English speaking person to hear a child speak to it’s father something like this. “Father, I would like to speak to you about something, do you have time to listen to me now or should I make an appointment for a later time.” One would suspect that this would be a sign that the relationship is stiff and formal and not warm, loving and intimate.
Those who have accepted Jesus as their Saviour and as the Son of God and have taken Him into their hearts, do not need to approach God in such a distant and formal manner. We may call Him Abba, (Daddy) and speak to Him quietly and intimately sharing with Him our needs, our fears and our shortcomings. He is always ready to listen, to comfort us and guide us along the paths that He wishes us to walk, and guide is in the way we should conduct ourselves in our every day lives. Trusting Him, praising Him, worshipping Him but most of all thanking Him for everything and for who He is.
Read Matthew chapter 6 vv 6 – 15.
Be blessed
Bruce
February 2018
Another aspect of Jesus’ use of “Father” to refer to God, is that it was totally against the culture of His time on Earth. To the rabbinical leaders and teachers, the Sanhedrin and the Pharisees it was an affront to them and to God. There were many names allowed when speaking or writing about God. To the ancient people descended from Abraham, the name of God was not allowed to be spoken. (There is not space here to explore this further.)
Most, if not all of the people who held authority and influence in the 1st Century AD would have been deeply offended by Jesus’ use of the word Father even more by the word Abba.
Jesus uses these words to encourage others to think in a closer and more intimate way about God and also to relate to God in the same way.
God is a God of love, who is caring and wishes to save all. It is our decision that we accept Him and His Son Jesus into our hearts, minds and lives.
Re read Matthew ch 6 vv 6 – 15 meditating on each word, phrase and sentence and how it applies to your own life.
March 2018
“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.”
In modern English “which art in heaven” would be; who is in heaven. Where is heaven? Traditionally heaven has been thought of as being somewhere up there, beyond the sky, but is that really where or what heaven is?
Matt 10 v 7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
What does this mean? When something is at hand, it is close by and within reach. Just as a chef will assemble all the ingredients, knives, spoons and pots and pans he needs to make a meal close to where he will work. So God and His kingdom are close to us, His creation. He has not and will not separate Himself from us. However, it seems impossible to comprehend this and accept it as fact.
It is in fact we who have placed God at a distance from our lives and He is calling us back into the close relationship that existed in the Garden of Eden before the disobedience of Adam and Eve.
God longs to be able to walk and talk with us as He did with Adam in the evenings and we need to find that same longing in our own hearts for His presence in our lives, every hour of every day.
Be blessed,
Bruce