One day, Jesus’ friends asked Him a favor: “Teach us to pray!”
They saw the amazing consequences of Jesus’ life of prayer – his confidence, insights and miracles.
Jesus said, “Pray this way”. Then he shared a prayer that some of us think of as old and rusty, but to them it was fresh and vital.
“Our Father, Who art in Heaven…”
The Hebrew word Jesus used for Father is Abba. If you are in Israel you will find children calling out to their fathers, “Abba.” It is a familiar expression which we would understand as Papa or Daddy.
Jesus presented a God approachable and familiar. He told us to address God as our kind, compassionate and generous Father. Call him Papa, Daddy.
It seemed frightfully too familiar to the religious people of the day, but Jesus encouraged his friends to address the monumental and awesome Creator and Sustainer as Daddy.
The starting place in prayer is to truly know the One you converse with. If you are a friend of Jesus, He invites you to know and make request of God as your loving heavenly Father.
Steven C Johnson
https://landingstripenterprises.com/
