You Are Not A Stranger | This is How we Pray | Trevon Gross

Devotional

Day 1: When Disciples Asked

The disciples watched Jesus pray, then made a bold request: “Teach us.” They’d seen prayers as distant rituals, but Jesus offered intimacy. He gave them words to reshape their relationship with God—not formulas, but family language. The early church clung to this prayer, repeating it three times daily like children learning their father’s voice. [00:36]

Jesus didn’t give a magic incantation. He revealed how to approach God: not as subjects groveling before a king, but as sons and daughters running to their Dad. The first word—“Our Father”—shattered religious formality. This was revolutionary for Jews accustomed to starting prayers with “Blessed are You, O Lord.”

How often do you reduce prayer to a duty rather than a conversation? When you speak to God today, pause after “Father.” Let that word linger. What hesitations or hopes surface when you address Him as your perfect parent?

“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’”
(Luke 11:1, NIV)

Prayer: Ask God to strip away religious pretenses and help you pray like a child coming home.
Challenge: Pray the Lord’s Prayer aloud three times today—morning, noon, and night.

Day 2: The Aramaic Echo

Jesus’ first listeners gasped when He said “Abba.” This wasn’t the formal “Pater” of Greek prayers, but the Aramaic term toddlers used—something like “Daddy.” Jewish men would never address God this way, yet Jesus insisted: “This is how you pray.” The word still echoes in Middle Eastern markets where fathers turn at their children’s cry of “Abba!” [04:55]

God chose vulnerability. A king could demand reverence, but a Father wants relationship. “Abba” implies trust—a child’s certainty that Daddy sees, cares, and acts. When you pray this word, you reject the lie of a distant deity. You proclaim access to the One who leans in to hear whispers.

What walls have you built because of absent or abusive earthly fathers? Write down one way you’ll intentionally approach God as “Daddy” this week—maybe through raw honesty or spontaneous praise.

“The Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’”
(Romans 8:15, NIV)

Prayer: Confess any resistance to God’s fatherhood. Ask Him to heal specific wounds from human examples.
Challenge: Text someone today: “God just reminded me He’s my perfect Daddy. How can I pray for you?”

Day 3: Known Before Speaking

David marveled that God knew his sitting down and standing up. Jesus highlighted this before teaching the Lord’s Prayer: “Your Father knows what you need before you ask.” No posturing required. The disciples learned prayer isn’t informing God, but inviting Him into what He already sees. [14:31]

We often hide like Adam in Eden, sewing fig leaves of religious language. But God sees the addiction you minimize, the resentment you rationalize, the fear you call “wisdom.” He knows the prayer behind your prayer—the unvoiced longing beneath polished words.

Where are you performing instead of being known? Picture Jesus asking to see your unmade soul—the mess under the bed, the unpaid bills, the browser history. What’s one thing you’ve tried to keep “off the table” with God?

“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.”
(Psalm 139:1-2, NIV)

Prayer: Thank God He already knows your darkest secret. Ask for courage to bring it into His light.
Challenge: Write down one hidden struggle. Read it aloud to God, then destroy the paper as an act of release.

Day 4: Loved While Running

The prodigal son rehearsed apologies, but his father sprinted through dust to embrace him. Jesus’ story isn’t about the son’s repentance—it’s about the father’s posture. No probation period. No “I told you so.” Just a ring, a robe, and a feast. This is your Father. [30:40]

We often approach God like returning prodigals—heads bowed, bargaining for scraps. But Romans 5:8 says He loved us “while we were still sinners.” Not after we cleaned up. Not because we earned it. His love flows from who He is, not what we do.

What lie about God’s love have you believed? “I’m too broken”? “I’ve failed too much”? Write that lie on a sticky note. Replace it with Romans 5:8 on a new note.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
(Romans 5:8, NIV)

Prayer: Thank God for specific ways He’s loved you in your mess this past month.
Challenge: Place the Romans 5:8 note where you’ll see it hourly (mirror, phone, steering wheel).

Day 5: With You in the Crack House

Jesus shocked listeners by saying God pursues people in brothels and crack houses. Religious leaders expected Him to say, “Clean up first.” Instead, He described a Father who runs into our chaos, saying, “I want to be where you are.” This isn’t approval of sin—it’s relentless love. [25:04]

Many feel God only dwells in sanctuaries or “holy enough” hearts. But Revelation’s Jesus knocks on brothel doors, club doors, prison doors. He’s not repelled by your environment or entanglements. His presence is the exit plan.

Where do you feel “too far gone” for God’s nearness? The Father waits to run toward you. What one step—even a crawl—can you take toward Him today?

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
(Luke 15:20, NIV)

Prayer: Ask God to reveal where He’s already present in your hardest situation.
Challenge: Do one tangible act of trust: delete a toxic app, text an accountability partner, or sit in silent surrender for five minutes.

Sermon Summary

We rediscover prayer as a family practice, not a ritual of distance. We pray the Lord's Prayer because it reshapes how we address God: Abba, our intimate Father. That single word shatters the old posture of a distant deity and invites us into relationship rather than into performances. We claim a Father who knows us fully, who sees our hidden thoughts and wounds, and who invites us to bring everything into the open rather than hiding behind masks.

We refuse theology that makes God a taskmaster. When we understand Abba, we stop trying to convince God to provide or to accept us. We acknowledge that God already cares for his children, that his provision and pursuit flow from his nature, not from our proving. This reframes how we pray about finances, family, failures, and fear: prayer becomes the place where reliance replaces anxiety and honesty replaces pretense.

We accept that knowledge of us does not lead to condemnation but to freedom and healing. God’s knowledge of our worst choices does not surprise him; his love meets those choices and seeks to restore. The prodigal story focuses less on the wayward child and more on the father who runs, embraces, and restores. That pattern shows a God who comes where we are, not to leave us there, but to lead us into the life he intended.

We embrace a God who wants us, who chooses to be with us and who champions our next steps. God does not simply observe from above; he enters our places of brokenness—clubs, homes, prisons, rooms of shame—and pursues us there. That presence calls us out of isolation into a shared life with him. If we lean into daily prayer with the confidence of children, we rewire our souls to expect closeness, correction, and courageous forward movement. Prayer then becomes less about bargaining and more about dwelling in the care of a Father who knows, loves, and wants us to grow into our inheritance.

Key Takeaways

1. God invites us as Abba We approach God with childlike intimacy, not with distant formulas. Calling God Abba reorients our prayers from ritual to relationship and frees us from the need to prove ourselves. This invitation asks us to show up honestly, bringing wounds, wants, and questions into the open. It transforms prayer into ongoing family conversation rather than a performance. [04:55]
2. God fully knows our hearts God already understands every hidden struggle, thought, and motive; prayer does not inform him but aligns us with him. When we admit what we hide, we remove hypocrisy and open ourselves to healing instead of condemnation. Transparency becomes the path to restoration because honesty invites God’s transforming work. Practicing such openness reorders our posture toward dependence. [14:06]
3. God’s love is unconditional God loved us while we remained sinners, so love never hinges on our performance. That truth forbids shame from defining our identity and liberates us to pursue change without fear of abandonment. Acceptance precedes action; because we belong, we can risk repentance and growth. This reality turns guilt into a portal for grace. [24:13]
4. God is with us and for us God chooses to be present in our mess and to champion our future, not to leave us stuck. His presence does not endorse wrong but empowers new steps toward the life he intends. Knowing God stands with and for us changes how we face fear, loneliness, and failure. It invites bold movement because we do not move alone. [31:06]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:36] - Early Church Prayer Practice
[01:32] - The Lord's Prayer Spoken Together
[03:40] - Abba: A World-Changing Word
[09:07] - Sonship and Heir Identity
[14:06] - God Knows Us Completely
[20:41] - Love That Does Not Depend
[26:07] - The Prodigal and the Father
[31:06] - God With Us and For Us

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Matthew 6:9-13 (ESV)
“Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Romans 5:8 (ESV)
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Psalm 139:1-4 (ESV)
“O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.”

Observation Questions

How does Jesus’ instruction to address God as “Our Father” in the Lord’s Prayer contrast with the distant prayers of religious rituals? [03:27]
What does the story of the prodigal son reveal about the father’s response to his child’s return, and how does this redefine God’s posture toward us? [26:40]
According to Psalm 139:1-4, what specific aspects of our lives does God already fully know?

Interpretation Questions

Why might referring to God as “Abba” (daddy) have been revolutionary for Jesus’ disciples, and how does this term reshape our understanding of prayer? [04:55]
How does God’s unconditional love, as described in Romans 5:8, challenge the idea that we need to “perform” to earn His acceptance? [24:13]
The sermon states, “God’s knowledge of us leads to freedom, not condemnation.” How does Psalm 139 support this claim, and what does this mean for how we approach God with our struggles?

Application Questions

What practical step could you take this week to approach prayer as a conversation with a loving “Abba” rather than a formal ritual? For example, how might you change your posture, location, or language? [05:30]
Identify one area of your life where you tend to hide or wear a “mask” (e.g., shame, fear, failure). How would honestly bringing this to God in prayer shift your relationship with Him? [15:24]
The sermon says, “Acceptance precedes action.” How might trusting that God loves you before you “fix” yourself change how you respond to guilt or shame? [24:27]
Reflect on a time you felt isolated or stuck. How does the truth that God is “with you and for you” (even in your mess) encourage you to take a bold next step? [33:16]
The prodigal son’s father ran to meet his child. Who in your life needs to hear that God is running toward them, not waiting for them to “clean up” first? How could you share this truth with them? [26:40]

Sermon Clips

41s

“``God is not sitting back trying to judge you. He judged sin when Jesus died on that cross. He's trying to love you to life, to let you know there's something better. You don't have to sit there in your soiled diaper and complain about what life is. He comes in and says, I'm going to help you be what you're supposed to be. I'm going to help you go where you're supposed to go if you'll simply rely on me. God's not mad at you. God loves you. He just wants you to invite him in.”

from 00:29:42

#GodLovesYou

43s

“You gotta give God a clean slate because he continues to prove himself as a father who loves his children. And so we don't need to pray cautiously. We don't need to pray hesitantly because we're just not sure if God is on our side. And so Jesus taught his disciples as he's teaching us, when you pray, you start that prayer out by acknowledging that you are not a stranger, that you are not an orphan, that you are a son of the most high God predestined for greatness.”

from 00:12:39

#PrayBoldly

40s

“It's about how the father responds when that son comes back. I need you all to hear me today because the devil's been tricking you. The devil's been lying to you. The devil's been trying to tell you, God is just so disappointed in you. God is mad at you. God doesn't understand why you do what you do, and that leads to shame and condemnation. But that's not who God is at all. God's not disappointed in you, and I need you to hear me today.”

from 00:26:36

#GodIsNotDisappointed

35s

“Now, yeah, we need to get our behavior straight, be very clear about that. But his love is not predicated on our behavior. His love is predicated on who he is and his desire to wanna have us in his family. So God is always trying to move towards us. He's always trying to open a door. That's why he tells us in Revelation, behold, I stand at the door and I knock. He doesn't say I'm waiting for you to come find me in the church. He says, I'm coming where you are.”

from 00:24:27

#GodMovesTowardYou

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You Are Not A Stranger | This is How we Pray | Trevon Gross | Hope Cathedral