Embracing God as Our Father Through Prayer

Devotional

Day 1: God as Our Father—Prayer Begins with Relationship

God desires us to approach Him as a loving Father, not as a distant force or a formula to manipulate for our own gain. This foundational truth transforms prayer from a ritual into a relationship, inviting us to draw near with trust and intimacy. When we begin our prayers by recognizing God as our Father, we are reminded of our identity as His beloved children and the closeness He offers us. This revolutionary idea, emphasized by Jesus, sets Christianity apart and invites us to experience God’s personal care and presence in every aspect of our lives. [46:14]

Matthew 6:9 (ESV)
“Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.’”

Reflection: How does seeing God as your loving Father change the way you approach Him in prayer today?

Day 2: The Power of Prayer—Pray or Be Prey

Neglecting our relationship with God through prayer leaves us spiritually vulnerable, much like an isolated animal is easy prey for a prowling lion. The enemy seeks to devour those who are weak and disconnected, but consistent prayer strengthens our bond with God and offers protection. Investing in our relationship with God through regular, heartfelt conversation keeps us spiritually healthy and guarded against the enemy’s schemes. [45:02]

1 Peter 5:8 (ESV)
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

Reflection: What is one practical step you can take today to strengthen your connection with God through prayer and avoid spiritual isolation?

Day 3: Keeping God’s Name Holy and Bringing His Kingdom

Prayer is not only about asking for our needs but also about praising God for His holiness and seeking to bring His kingdom into our daily lives. We are invited to reflect on where we have honored God’s name and where we have fallen short, confessing and seeking His help to live in a way that reflects His character. This part of prayer is both praise and petition, asking God to empower us to represent Him well in our relationships, workplaces, and communities. [48:21]

Matthew 6:9-10 (ESV)
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Reflection: Where in your life today can you intentionally honor God’s name and bring His kingdom to those around you?

Day 4: Forgiveness—Receiving and Extending Grace

Jesus teaches that asking for forgiveness is inseparable from extending forgiveness to others. Holding onto bitterness or refusing to forgive blocks the flow of God’s grace in our own lives. Forgiveness is often difficult, especially when wounds are deep, but God calls us to release others and pray for their good, freeing our hearts from the enemy’s foothold. As we forgive, we experience the freedom and mercy that God offers us, living out the reality of His forgiveness in our relationships. [57:21]

Luke 11:4 (ESV)
“and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.”

Reflection: Who is one person you need to forgive today, and how can you begin to pray for God’s blessing in their life?

Day 5: Resisting Temptation and Growing in Christlike Character

Temptation is not a sin but an opportunity to develop the character of Christ as we resist and rely on God’s strength. Each day brings challenges that reveal areas where we need God’s help to grow—whether it’s in our words, attitudes, or actions. By praying for God’s strength to resist temptation, we invite Him to shape us into people who reflect Jesus more fully, trusting that He will provide what we need to stand firm. [01:00:10]

1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV)
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Reflection: What is one area of temptation you are facing right now, and how can you ask God for strength and a way of escape today?

Sermon Summary

God invites us to approach Him first and foremost as our Father, not as a distant force or a formula to manipulate. He desires a real, living relationship with us, one marked by intimacy, trust, and honest conversation. When we neglect this relationship, we become spiritually vulnerable—like an isolated animal in the wild, easy prey for the enemy. But when we invest in prayer, we draw near to God and find protection, strength, and guidance.

Prayer is not about reciting the right words to get what we want; it’s about aligning our hearts with God’s heart. Jesus’ model prayer begins with the revolutionary idea that we can call God “Father,” a privilege that was almost unthinkable in the Old Testament. This relationship shapes the way we pray: we begin by praising God for His holiness and kingship, reflecting on how we have honored or dishonored His name, and asking for help to bring His kingdom into our daily lives.

We are also invited to bring our needs before God, trusting Him as a good parent who knows what is best for us. Just as a loving parent doesn’t give a child everything they ask for, God sometimes withholds what we want to shape our character and help us grow. Our prayers for daily provision are an opportunity to examine our desires, distinguish between needs and wants, and rest in God’s sufficiency.

Forgiveness is at the heart of our relationship with God and others. We are called to forgive as we have been forgiven, recognizing that harboring unforgiveness blocks the flow of God’s grace in our lives. This is not easy, but as we pray for those who have wronged us, we break the enemy’s hold and experience true freedom.

Finally, we ask God for strength to resist temptation, knowing that temptation itself is not sin but an opportunity to grow in Christlike character. Through honest prayer, confession, and dependence on God, we are shaped into the likeness of Jesus, living as true children of our Father.

Key Takeaways

1. God desires a personal, father-child relationship with us, not a transactional or formulaic interaction. Recognizing God as Father transforms our approach to prayer and invites us into intimacy, trust, and honest dialogue. This foundational identity shapes every aspect of our spiritual life. [43:34]
2. Neglecting our relationship with God leaves us spiritually isolated and vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks. Just as predators target the weak and separated, so too does the enemy seek out those who drift from God. Consistent prayer is not just a discipline but a means of spiritual protection and strength. [44:30]
3. The Lord’s Prayer teaches us to begin with praise and reflection: honoring God’s holiness and kingdom, and examining how our lives reflect His character. This is not mere ritual, but a call to active participation in God’s work and honest self-examination—celebrating where we have honored Him and repenting where we have not. [47:33]
4. God’s provision is shaped by His wisdom and love, not our demands. Like a wise parent, He sometimes withholds what we want to cultivate maturity and dependence on Him. True prayer involves discerning our real needs, surrendering our desires, and trusting that God’s gifts—even His silence—are for our ultimate good. [53:56]
5. Forgiveness is both a gift we receive and a practice we extend to others. Holding onto bitterness not only damages our relationships but also hinders our own experience of God’s forgiveness. Praying for those who have wronged us, even when it’s difficult, breaks the enemy’s foothold and opens our hearts to healing and freedom. [58:19]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[43:34] - God as Father, Not a Formula
[43:48] - Pray or Be Prey: The Importance of Relationship
[44:30] - Spiritual Vulnerability and the Enemy
[45:33] - Jesus’ Model Prayer: Structure and Freedom
[46:30] - The Revolutionary Fatherhood of God
[47:33] - Praising God’s Holiness and Kingdom
[48:21] - Self-Examination and Confession
[50:40] - Praying for Daily Needs
[52:14] - God’s Wisdom in Provision
[53:56] - Learning Deeper Trust in God’s Answers
[56:33] - Forgiveness: Receiving and Extending
[58:19] - Breaking Bitterness and Finding Freedom
[59:35] - Praying for Strength Against Temptation
[61:09] - Living as Children of God
[63:08] - Communion and Apostles Creed Instructions

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

In Luke 11:1-4, what are the main parts of the prayer Jesus teaches his disciples? What do these parts focus on?
According to 1 Peter 5:8, how is the devil described, and what warning does Peter give to believers? ([44:46])
In Matthew 6:14-15, what does Jesus say about the connection between forgiving others and receiving forgiveness from God?
The sermon mentions that in the Old Testament, God was rarely called “Father.” Why was Jesus’ teaching to call God “Father” considered revolutionary? ([46:30])

Interpretation Questions

The sermon compares neglecting our relationship with God to an animal separated from its group and becoming easy prey for predators. What does this analogy suggest about the importance of regular prayer and connection with God? ([44:30])
Jesus starts the Lord’s Prayer by addressing God as “Father.” How does this change the way we think about prayer and our relationship with God? ([46:30])
The sermon says that God sometimes withholds what we want to help us grow in character, just like a wise parent. How does this idea challenge or encourage your understanding of unanswered prayers? ([53:56])
Why is forgiveness described as both a gift we receive and a practice we extend to others? What happens if we hold onto bitterness, according to the sermon? ([58:19])

Application Questions

The sermon says God wants us to approach Him as a loving Father, not as a formula or a vending machine. In your own prayer life, do you find yourself treating God more like a person or more like a formula? What is one way you could make your prayers more personal this week? ([43:34])
When you think about your relationship with God, do you ever feel spiritually isolated or “easy prey” for the enemy? What are some practical steps you can take to strengthen your connection with God through prayer? ([44:30])
The Lord’s Prayer begins with praise and reflection on God’s holiness and kingdom. Take a moment to look back on your week: where have you honored God’s name, and where have you not? How can you bring God’s kingdom into your daily life this coming week? ([48:21])
The sermon talks about asking God for our daily needs, not just our wants. Think about something you’ve been praying for—do you believe it’s a need or a want? How can you trust God’s wisdom if His answer is “no” or “not yet”? ([53:56])
Is there someone in your life you are struggling to forgive? What is one step you can take this week to pray for that person, even if it’s difficult? How might this help you experience more freedom? ([58:19])
The sermon says temptation is not a sin, but an opportunity to grow in Christlike character. What is one area where you regularly face temptation? How can you invite God into that struggle through honest prayer and confession? ([59:35])
Jesus modeled praying for those who hurt him, even on the cross. Is there a situation where you can follow Jesus’ example and pray for someone who has wronged you? What might change in your heart if you do? ([01:01:09])

Sermon Clips

God wants us to start here at father. He wants us to start here at fatherson relationship. He wants us to know that he is a person. He is not a mathematical formula. He is not a vending machine that you can just do the right thing, say the right things, pull the right lever and then you'll get the miracle that you're looking for. He is a person and he is a good father. So with this understanding in our minds, let's move on to our next point. [00:43:20]

And so when you neglect your relationship, as I said earlier, you grow farther apart from that person. And when you continuously neglect your relationship, you become farthest a far farther and farther apart. And so when you're not close to someone, I would characterize that as a weak relationship, right? [00:44:04]

So when we neglect our relationship with God, we become easy prey. But when we pray, when we strengthen that relationship with God, we become protected. So we become protected when we invest in our relationship with God and we become pray when we neglect our relationship with God. [00:45:07]

As I said earlier, we're not bound to the structure of this prayer. For example, when Peter is walking on water to Jesus in uh Matthew and Jesus and then all of a sudden Peter sees everything else and he says, "Lord, save me." Jesus didn't go uh uh uh our father who are in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. And then because if that was the case, Peter would have been sinking and blowing bubbles by the time he got to the point. [00:45:40]

Now, another reason that this is revolutionary is because in the Old Testament, there's only a few places where God is referred to as father. And that is in that is an overarching fatherhood of Israel. No one dared to call God their father. Right? When Jesus says calls God his father, the Pharisees want to kill him because he made himself equal to God. [00:46:28]

And so the many scholars say that this word father is actually one of the chief difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament because Jesus draws us closer and says you actually can call God your father as well. And so that is the central beginning and the central point of our prayer that God is our father and we are his children. [00:47:05]

You can praise God for who he is as being holy as being the king. But you can also look at this and say where have I kept your name holy in my life? Where have I been a person that has brought your kingdom to where I was living at where I was standing? So we can pray this prayer as also as a as a contemplation as a confession. [00:48:00]

God might bring to mind the time that that you made a a meal for someone who can't cook for themselves or visiting a shut in. And so you can look at those and say, "Lord, thank you for helping me make your name holy to my friends in this way." On the other side, you can ask, "Lord, where have I not kept your name holy? Where have I not brought your kingdom to this earth?" [00:48:50]

And you can maybe maybe it's brought up like, "Oh man, for me specifically, maybe I was rude to my wife and my kids. Maybe I didn't uh speak kindly or maybe I wrote a a mean letter to my HOA about how uh how rude they are they are they have been or how bad my neighbor is." and and so I can look at those and be like, "Wow, this is an opportunity for me to repent of the the ways that I have not brought his kingdom to this earth." [00:49:15]

So we can praise for God's holiness in his kingdom while we're also con thanking him and confessing and petitioning God to empower us to bring holiness to other people. So that is part of our prayer prompt. Now the next three prayers are all closely related to God as father and they relate to our horizontal relationships. [00:50:29]

But I know just like my kids, you and I, we often ask for the things that we want. We often ask for candy, right? I mean, I'm embarrassed to say that for I've prayed this hundred times. I asked God for $100,000. Like, Lord, please give me $100,000. I would I could do so much with $100,000. You know that I could do that. [00:53:05]

The truth is, God does answer prayer, though. Many of us have have experienced that in this church, in your lives. He does answer prayer, but he does it in a way that will help us become more like Jesus. You know, do you know what I'm saying? Jesus has given his life for us. And God has given Christ authority over all things. [00:54:08]

So how can we pray for these daily needs? How can we pray for him to meet our needs? Well, I think we can look at the ways that you are stressed out. If you are anxious in certain areas of your life, you can say, "Do I actually need this or is this a luxury that I'm expecting from God?" [00:55:24]

Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Now notice this. Luke puts this in the present tense. Forgive us our sins as we do this. He's expressing this that people who have who are asking forgiveness also have to have a forgiving heart as well. And Jesus states it both ways because this is a New Testament truth. [00:56:39]

Because if we pray, "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us," if we're praying that with a with an unforgiving heart, we're actually praying that God would not forgive our sins. If you're not forgiving someone else, you're actually praying that God would not forgive your sins. [00:57:21]

But sometimes it keeps coming up, right? Like you're driving down the road and you see something that reminds you of someone who who wronged you. Uh or you're talking to someone or you're in your bed and you're thinking about things and you think, "I can't believe that person said this thing to me then." Right? Does that come up? [00:58:24]

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