Tell me about your Father...

“Tell me about your father…” 

You might expect those words from a man with circular glasses while you lay back on a chaise lounge. 

We can learn and grow by reflecting on our upbringing and those who shaped it. 

But our view of our Heavenly Father is far more important than our view of any human. 

What comes to mind when you think about God?  

A.W. Tozer wrote this in “The Knowledge of the Holy,” 

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. ... Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God. For this reason the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like.” 

Your thoughts of God are your most important thoughts. 

When the Lord Jesus teaches us to pray, He begins by addressing the Father. 

You might be familiar with this language for God– but is Father the functional way you think of God? 

The way we approach God and act in response to Him can display many other ideas: 

·       God as a Celebrity– You’re just a Paparazzi chasing Him with questions.  

·       God as your Landlord– You’re either sneaking out on Him (when you’re behind on the rent) or making demands of Him (when things aren’t right, and you feel righteous).

·       God as your Lifeguard– You are glad He’s there for Protection but also think He’s sort of a wet blanket on the fun. 

·       God as the President– He’s in charge, but far away from the life of normal people.

·       God as your Buddy– He’s on my level, riding shotgun through life with me.

In prayer we fit together God’s World with His Word. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, He used Father. The Lord Jesus offers us a simple, world shaping address, Father, at the cost of His own life. 

No one stands as a loved Son of the Heavenly Father except through Christ. In Christ’s perfect life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection we can approach God as our Father! 

·       He’s a Father who is truly above us, but deeply loves us. 

·       He’s a Father who has given us room in His home, not left us to fend for ourselves. 

·       He’s a Father who protects, cares for, and blesses, not destroy or distresses. 

·       He’s a Father in total authority, but also in true intimacy!

What does your prayer life indicate you think about God? How might your conversation with Him change if you came to Him as the loving Father He is?