OUR FATHER
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is proof that God is not far and therefore, communication with Him is the norm
TEXT: 1 Thessalonians 5:17
Jesus is the finality of God as we see in Hebrews 1:1, and this means that we must take His words on all things as true above all else. What He says is what we live by. In Luke 11:1, His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray, and we will start by looking at Jesus’ response.
The first thing is how Jesus taught us to relate with God. He said when we pray, we should call God Father, so we have it on good authority that this is how God wants to be related with. We are His children and He’s our Daddy. Let’s ponder on the implications of that today. Calling God Father implies that there is a relationship, a bond, a connection. A kinship. If this is true, then in a healthy Father-child relationship, constant communication is only natural. Now, the fact that God is love puts His Fatherhood in context. He is not just any Father, He is a loving Father. It must settle in our subconscious that communicating with God is the norm because we are His children and He is our Father. Jesus wants us to relate with God as our Father, because it drives home how natural it should be to talk to God. He wants us to see how abnormal prayerlessness and inconsistent communication are.
Consistency in prayer is sometimes difficult because we don’t realize how natural it is to talk and listen to God. It was once impossible to talk to God without going or traveling to a temple or tabernacle or sending requests through a priest (See Luke 18:10 1 Samuel 1:24,Jeremiah 7:16, 2 Chronicles 30:27), but the gift of the Holy Spirit has made communication with God a norm. It is important to understand that God will never ask of us what He has not given us. Everything that God asks of us is from the assumption that we’re in the position to give/ do it. He can ask us to live holy because He’s given us the gift of His holiness (See 1 Peter 2:9, 1 Peter 1:15). He can ask us to be living sacrifices because He gave us His life (See Romans 12:1, Galatians 2:20), so He wants us to pray always because He has made communication the norm through His permanent indwelling in us.
The only thing needed to facilitate constant communication now is not a high mountain or a middleman. It is His presence. He dwells in us because He wants us to see that we are not speaking to a God who lives far away. Traveling far distances to speak and listen to Him might seem like a reason not to pray always, but He has bridged that gap so that we can see that He has truly made communication the norm. He’s really right there in you, wanting to speak and listen to you.
STUDY THIS: Romans 12:12
DECLARE THIS: I recognize that I am in unbroken fellowship with God and I affirm that the Holy Ghost lives in me. Prayer is therefore the norm in my life. Glory!