The Father
And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. (Mathew 23:9)
Praying is one of the many simple things that the Lord has allowed us to do in order for us to have a true and solid relationship with YHWH. It’s in those moments of intimacy that we get to grow spiritually and commune with the Holy One of Israel. While many take the time to call Him “Lord”, “Savior” or any other epithet / title, it is important to know that He wants us to call Him “Father” when we pray to Him.
Four of our previous articles have set the precedent for this one: the I Have Called You By Your Name series and Spiritual Paternity.
The proof of this comes from one of the most famous bible verses of all-time, Matthew 6:19 - 13, which reads:
“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, as we also have forgiven those who sinned against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one
- Matthew 6:9 - 13
For those who require context, it is the prayer that Yeshua gave us: Our Father. He says explicitly that this is how we should pray. It resonates with something else that Yeshua says later on in the book of Matthew, when He says that we are to call no other human on earth father, for ours is in heaven (Matthew 23:9).
But why?
The positive reasoning for this is because the word of God is filled with an extensive amount of verses that account for YHWH being the Father, which include 1 Corinthians 8:6, Malachi 2:10 and Isaiah 63:3 to name but a few. As well, in that responsibility, the Father does everything and more than an earthly father could ever do, which includes providing for us (1 Timothy 5:8), a teacher (Proverbs 22:6), and forgives us for our wrongdoing when we acknowledge we’ve done wrong (Luke 15:20 - 24). No human should ever take that from YHWH, nevertheless you give another person that power and authority over you.
The negative reasoning is the fact that we are fallible. In fact, there are so many people who haven’t been delivered from the idols of their hearts (Ezekiel 14:3, 1 - 8). Therefore, when you speak from your lips and pray, you must be specific to whom you are talking to, as the gods of your heart can open their ears when you pray to “god”. Say the name of the Father and call Him Father so that it is clear to whom you are praying to. Do not be ambiguous with your prayers.
With that reality, you are to know to whom you are praying to and talking about: The Father, who created the heavens and earth. YHWH created you and loves His children and those who obey Him (John 14:21). He loves you so much, that He gives His children an opportunity to reach salvation and to call Him father, there is no love in the world that is comparable to that.