Father’s Love - by Anthony Cooksey
The Lord’s Prayer: Father’s Love
“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which are in heaven, Hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” Matthew 6:9-13
Part 2: Our Father:
Our father; not lord or master; not ruler or supreme being. He is no tyrant in the sky, wielding ultimate power, who indiscriminately makes decisions on the outcomes of our world. Our father. In dealing with the second aspect of the opening statement of Christ’s instructional prayer, He begs us to analyze our relationship with the maker of the universe. He instructs us to see our creator in a wholly revolutionary way. He invites us into a filial relationship with the great “I AM.” Imagine that. See it for what it truly is. Don’t just say Father, ponder the wonders of what that actually implies. This idea destroys “religion;” it eliminates all ritual and impersonal duties that plague the church. I pray that we shall never again waste that title of Father offered to us by God Himself in our daily prayers again. I pray that the thought of God as your Father will take your breath; will give you pause; will send you to your knees in adoration.
“For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba Father.” the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs- heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” Rom 8:15-17.
Why is “adoption” language utilized here? What does that imply? It denotes a richness of relationship to our creator that is offered no where else in all of existence. It implies that heaven is not our birthright; we are not owed anything by virtue of our lineage or by any position of status or power that we have achieved. We were brought in. We were without a home; venturing aimlessly through this life with no solid foundation or name to be called by. We were unfulfilled and abandoned without any true eternal hope in our earthly counterparts. And THEN… And then, in an act of pure sacrificial love, we were brought in. We were accepted and purchased with the blood of Christ.
Doubt not His love for you. Do not let perceived humility of unworthiness cloud your vision and cause you to lower your eyes from His face. He invites you to see Him as a Father, because while we were still sinners, Christ died for you. He died for your redemption and for the opportunity for you to be re-grafted into the family of God. This is the only way that we can have adoration for our God. It is the only way for us to truly see His grace and gaze upon its beauty. If our salvation was dependent on our following of specific steps; our adherence to a set of laws, we wouldn’t be able to look to the cross and weep. We would not understand the gravity of our situation before adoption and after its transformation. We do not earn our Father’s love it is freely given.
“How deep the Father’s love for us,
How vast beyond all measure,
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure.”
Our relationship to God is not transactional. It is not riddled with terms and conditions. It is not a business relationship in which His love is dependent on our meeting of requirements. That also implies that we can not demand or expect actions on the part of God for our “good” works or deeds. We cannot balance the scales of our lives and earn His favor. Our relationship to God is vastly deeper; a beautiful blend of humility and assuredness of where we stand in concordance with our Father. All prayer should be from the vantage point of a child speaking to a loving father; a child petitioning their father; seeking guidance from their father; crying out in anguish or fear or pain to their father. We have been given that right to seek Him as such. By virtue of Christ, we are brought to the table and given access to God in this way.
It must be noted that not all have a fond view of fathers. Not everyone can smile when thinking of their earthly fathers and the time spend with them. Praise God that our relationship with Him is not dependent on our flawed parents. Whether your parent was an authoritarian or absent; inconsequential or abusive. It has no bearing on how we are to see our true Father. Our Heavenly Father is a PERFECT Father.
“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” Mat. 7:11
Do not gloss over this climatical fact. Do not let slip from your mouth, the word “father”, without dwelling on its meaning.
Behold. Behold. Stop and sit in that realization for a moment. Rest in this revelation for a lifetime. You are a child of the Living God. Your gender, race, and age matter not. They have no bearing on your status as an heir. You are loved by your creator; prized by the maker of all; accepted by the one who knows all your flaws and still sees you as His child. You are in Christ and Christ is in the Father. This is no small fact. It is transformational. So go out from this moment brothers and sisters and live accordingly. Recognize who’s name and image you bear. The family of God is extremely exclusive yet available to all; restrictive yet inviting to anyone who will listen to its call.
Therefore, invite others to experience the awe inspiring and universe altering love of “Our Father.”
“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” 1 John 3:1-2