He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father’…” Luke 11:2

Have you ever seen an incredibly beautiful person pass by, or artwork that stopped you in your tracks, or heard someone speak with such clarity that your mouth dropped open? You think to yourself, I want to be like THAT! When Jesus’ followers heard Him pray, they thought, “we want to learn to pray like THAT!” So they asked Jesus to teach them.

Customary prayers at the synagogue were memorized by Jewish children and recited over and over. Recitation can be beautiful, but when Jesus prayed, the warmth and intimacy of His words felt different. Jesus didn’t address God as almighty, immortal, or invincible, though He is all of those things, and you can refer to God as these when you pray. But Jesus began His teaching on prayer with the equivalent of, “Hi Dad.”

In fact, Jesus didn’t just call God, “my father”, he said “our father” as recorded in the Bible in Matthew 6:9. Jesus was teaching His followers that they could be as close and familiar with God as He Himself was. Jesus seemed to be emphasizing His followers as His siblings.

When we pray to Jesus, we can talk with Him like a trusted brother. Share with Jesus the details of your day, the jokes that make you laugh the hardest, as well as the beauties that most steal your breath away. Nothing is too sacred or too profane to whisper to the Parent who already knows all that we are experiencing. He never stops saying, “Come.”

 

Resource reading: Luke 11:1-13