Come as a child
"This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, Matthew 6 v 9
I was challenged this week as I journeyed through the Lord’s Prayer at our weekly church prayer meeting. Instead of saying the prayer in one fell swoop, we paused and read and prayed over each line carefully and slowly. It is amazing how quickly we read the Bible, we rush through its contents in order to move on quickly to the next item on our agenda.
Having enjoyed reflecting and meditating on each line of the prayer this week I pondered how many times I’d missed something wonderful in his word simply because I didn’t take the time. We can so often get caught up in the busyness of life that our time with God also becomes like another scheduled meeting in our busy schedule. Is that what God really wants from us, a scheduled appointment that we must meet out of obligation, or does he want us to come and taste and see that he is good and that his word is like honey to our lips?
Not only do we often rush our time with him but we over complicate our time with him. We can become so legalistic and routined about it, caring more about ticking the boxes of private discipline than basking in his arms. As I read the first two words of the Lord’s prayer at the meeting I was immediately blown away – “Our Father” . Now I know what you’re thinking, ”surely she knows the first two lines of the Lord’s Prayer?”. Of course I do but I didn’t realise just how powerful those two words actually are until I took time over them.
God is our father, he is our Daddy. I don’t know what your earthly Daddy was like, whether you have a relationship with him or not. You may not even know your father. Whether you have a loving earthly Father or not, you do have a Father who loves you with an incredible unconditional love.
As I reflected upon God as father, my attention turned towards my children and how they approach their father, my husband. You see when they approach their Father they don’t have to stop and think about what to say, they don’t have to strand in line or make an appointment. They just come as they are. Jesus said these words “suffer little children come unto me”. They just come, they don’t try and rehearse what to say, they just say it. Now of course that includes the good, the bad and the ugly. It includes their tears and their tantrums, their cross words and their impatience however it’s real and it’s straight from their hearts.
Now my husband is a loving father but they don’t always get what they ask for, “no you can’t have a treat before tea” and of course they don’t like it at times but there is something so real and so uncomplicated about this relationship. God is our father and he wants us to come to him as a child, we don’t need to rehearse it or schedule an appointment for it, just simply come and speak from the heart.
Jesus said these words about coming to God like a child in Matthew 18 v 3&4
“I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Your Father wants so much for you, he has so many gifts and blessings that he wants to share with you, don’t be so busy that you miss them. Take time out from your busy schedule and spend some time alone with him, share with him your heart and everything that is weighing on it. You don’t need to wait until everything is sorted and uncomplicated, just come as you are with your complications. Why not start with the first line in the Lord’s Prayer “Our Father…….”
For your Father waits for you
Until next time
Debbie
