January 1st: Our Father
Today marks the beginning of our 21 days of prayer. Over the next twenty-one days, we are going to spend time praying the way Jesus did, over the things Jesus prayed for. As we prepare to begin this journey together, we want to remind you of what Jesus said as He taught His disciples how to pray:
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others… But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret… And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words” (Mt 6:5-7).
What Jesus is stressing here is the importance of having an actual conversation between you and God: where you’re not just repeating the same few things over and over, where you aren’t focused on whose around you and aren’t distracted by the things around you, so you can focus on God in prayer. So over the next 21 days, our suggestion is to carve out time & space where you can do that each day, so you can focus on God in prayer.
As we begin this journey, over the next few days we are going to turn our attention to what Jesus said as He taught His disciples how to pray. In Matthew 6:9 Jesus said “Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” (Mt 6:9). Today, as you pray, focus on the fact that God is “Our Father”.
When the Bible speaks of God as Father, it emphasizes the close, intimate relationship that we, as believers, share with God and stresses His personal care and concern for us.
For some, the thought of God as Father is difficult to grasp, because they view God as Father through the framework of their own, flawed earthly father. Instead, we suggest you think of it this way: He is the perfect expression of all the good characteristics & attributes that our earthly fathers possess, and He lacks all of the inherent flaws, mistakes, and misdeeds that earthly fathers have and do. God is our Perfect Father. He loves us with an everlasting love (Jer 31:3; Eph 1:3-14), He is an ever-present help in time of need (Ps 46:1), He will never leave or forsake us (Dt 31:6), He cares for us and provides for our every need (Mt 6:24-34), and He disciplines us, in love, in order that we might share in His holiness (Heb 12:5-11).
As you spend time in prayer today, focus on God as your Father.