Talking with the Perfect Father

The word Father brings out many different emotions and thoughts in each person. Some have had good fathers, bad fathers, or even mediocre fathers. It can also mean pain, confusion, disappointment, or, if lucky, thankfulness. In the next few weeks, we will look at what many call the Lord’s prayer, specifically Luke’s account of Jesus teaching the disciples to pray (Luke 11:1-13). As he finishes praying, the disciples, like many followers of Rabi’s, ask Jesus to teach them to pray. Maybe they heard something different in the way Jesus had just been praying. Perhaps they didn’t hear His words but saw the emotion of his time in prayer. We don’t know what prompted their question, but we know they asked, and it wasn’t an earth-shattering question for the time. 

He then gives them a short prayer as an example and a brief teaching on prayer. This teaching focuses on the simple need to go to the father persistently. In one sense, this is because of the relationship we should have with God and the need to take our entire lives and concerns to him. The opening of the example prayer starts with addressing God as Father. This would have been new to the disciples. The Jewish faith never referred to God as a personal father but as a heavenly father to the community of Jews. Before we have a hasty thought, thinking that Jesus is God’s son and the only one allowed to address God this way, we need to remember that Jesus just told the disciples to pray this way. 

I am thankful because I have had a pretty good Father. He has always made His family a priority. He worked hard to provide for us and ensured my brother, sister, and mother always knew how much he loved and supported us. For me, addressing God as a father has not been hard. I, however, acknowledge that this may be hard for others reading this today, and I pray that God will help you see God as the perfect father who far surpasses even the best fathers in this world. I encourage you to read Luke 15:11-32 to glimpse one of the many reasons our heavenly father is far better than any earthly father. 

Praying persistently, however, has been a hard thing for me. Often, I think this is because I know that my will is frequently not God’s will. Why would I petition God for those things He does not desire for me? However, I have learned recently that as we pray, it’s much like sitting down with a good friend for coffee and venting about life. As we talk about our deepest hurts, we realize what our brokenness is and what our brokenness is hiding that God does desire for us. 

As we began the process of adopting our sweet daughter, the state closed the door on us. Months passed, and a situation arose that broke me one night. I got the news that someone who wasn’t looking to adopt had a foster child placed with them. At that moment, I was shattered into a million pieces. My wife and I desperately wanted to have a child; a coworker put us in contact with a grandma who was looking for a home for her granddaughter, but the state refused without any conversation or any suggestion for what they needed from us. Then, the same state hands a child to a family because of a familial connection they weren’t even aware of. God knew what He was doing but I didn’t. I praise God that the child got placed with that family because I even celebrated their family’s adoption of the child this year. What a celebration!

In my brokenness, I started to pray. I vividly remember running on the treadmill and sitting in the middle of the living room floor, crying out to God. Why can’t we adopt the little girl? Why does this other family get to add another member to their family? I feel like I’ve lived a good life for you, Lord; why am I the problem? But in those moments, God laid it on my heart to keep praying for the little girl’s parents. I had started praying for her months prior as the door was closed, but it took my brokenness to realize that prayer was of most importance even in the middle of my brokenness. The little girl would need parents who would share Christ’s love with her through their teaching and ways of raising her. She needed God’s presence as she learned to walk, talk, attend school, follow God’s calling, and even get married one day. 

I didn’t know that those prayers were for Elizabeth and me. Things would change. I would get good advice that led to us doing what that state wanted without the state telling us what they wanted. And the process wasn’t easy. There were more prayers of brokenness along the way. However, I realized that part of prayer is recognizing who God is and allowing our conversations with Him to transform our understanding of the world. Those prayers for her parents have pushed me to prioritize those things I prayed for and continue to pray for. I make plenty of mistakes, but my understanding of prayer has deepened.

So today, do you know who God is when you are speaking to Him? Do you have some things to work through in your relationship with Him? How can I partner with and pray for you as you navigate your relationship with the only perfect Father?  

Lord, lead us to a deeper relationship that sees you as our perfect Father and transforms our hearts and lives as we talk with you. Amen