The Power of the Relationship
The Power of the Relationship
Monday January 22, 2018
The president of a major corporation needs to fill a vacancy. There are a handful of qualified individuals the president can promote in order to fill the position. One of these persons happens to be the best friend of the president. Who do you think is going to get the job? A purchaser for a big law firm has been tasked with the duty of purchasing hundreds of computers for the firm. One of the top three companies bidding happens to be owned by someone the purchaser went to college with. Who do you think is going to get the contract? While qualifications and pricing are determining factors, relationships make all the difference.
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father… – Matthew 6:6 NIV
“This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven…’” – Matthew 6:9 NIV
Roughly two-thousand years ago when Jesus spoke the Bible verses you just read, people hearing him must have been stunned, shocked, amazed, confused, and in total disbelief. Up to that point, at no time in history were humans invited to address God as Father. In the Old Testament, God’s names were descriptive of his titles and attributes, like El Shaddai (Lord God Almighty), Jehovah Shalom (The Lord is Peace), Jehovah Rapha (The Lord Heals), or Jehovah Jireh (The Lord will Provide). These are some of the names that were used and are still being used to describe God. None of them describe an intimate relationship with him however. These names describe the relationship between the Creator and his creation. Therefore, when Jesus said, “when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father…” it was something unbelievable and totally revolutionary. Now the Creator was addressing us as His children and not as His creation. Sadly though, many believers haven’t received the memo. Many pray to God based on his titles and attributes but few come before him as a child would come before their loving father.
My earthly father is very accomplished in the music industry and so many fellow musicians call him Maestro. Others refer to him as Pastor because he shepherded them while others call him Apostle because he has founded many churches around the world. While all these titles are appropriate and true, I don’t call him Maestro, Pastor, or Apostle, I call him by a far better name; I call him dad.
It is a blessing to get to call the Maestro, Pastor, Apostle, dad but even more amazing is that each of us are invited to call the Almighty God, the Lord of Peace, the Lord Healer, and the Lord Provider, Heavenly Father. Because God is our father, he is always available for his children and we never need an appointment. By the way, do you realize that I just told you that your Heavenly Father is the Lord God Almighty?
- Have you benefitted or been given an advantage simply because of your relationship to that person?
- How do you mostly address God, by his titles or as Father?
- When you address Him as “Father”, is that just a term or do you realize the implications?
- What are some of the implications?
- How do we receive an advantage over the people and heroes that were before Christ being that they did not get to relate to God as their Heavenly Father?
- How would your conversation with God change if you fully addressed him as your Heavenly Father?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for loving me so much and thank you for Jesus who loved me so much he made it possible for me to have an intimate relationship with you. I come before you as your child, with a grateful heart, I pray I may never forget that I am yours and mine are the benefits associated with being your child, healing, provision, and peace. Amen
