Knowing Our Father lives in heaven can change and challenge our prayer life!
Who art in heaven
When I think about this phrase from the Lord’s Prayer “Who art in heaven” I find myself thinking of my own father who “art in heaven.”
My dads departure for heaven left an indelible mark on me. During my teen years my relationship with him was tenuous, at best. It improved little as I grew into adulthood. Because of that, I never thought that his death could bring me a sense of God’s victory and reassurance of eternal life. I’ll be telling that story on todays episode of “Storming t he Gates”
Hello Family of God! I am back from a splendiferous vacation to Southern Florida and it was sooo needed after this winter. Who am I kidding? Here in the North we just had yet another snowfall! Oi Vey!
But.. this too shall pass. Spring shall surely come. Right????
We are going through the Lords prayer in this season of Storming the Gates. The last time we spoke about the Lords prayer we considered why Jesus chose the salutation “Our Father” to begin the prayer He taught us. You can find a link to that podcast in the show notes.
In that episode we discussed how Jesus chose the words “Our Father” because first, we must know the God we approach in prayer as a Father who loves us, cares for us, wants to protect us, and see us succeed.
Then secondly Jesus added “Who art in heaven.”
Again. I pause. Why is Jesus determined we know God as a Father in heaven?
Heaven? Isn’t God everywhere? Wouldn’t the MOST important thing be to know that God is with us? Our Emmanuel? In my mind it would be. But Jesus points out Our Father is in Heaven. Why?
Lets first consider a few verses that compliment this thought:
Matthew 23:9 “And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.” This verse points out earthly fathers are merely “stand ins” while we await a glorious reunion with our TRUE Father, who is in heaven.
The Bible repeatedly states Jesus was “sent” from heaven, And the Holy Spirit was “sent” from heaven. (1 Peter 1:12)
Then, there is that crazy cool moment in Mark 1:9-11 where Jesus is being baptized and the heavens are opened (I believe the veil between earth and the spiritual realm) and the Father makes a statement “This is my beloved Son!” Which he basically repeats in the transfiguration (Mark 17: 1-9) Jesus is on earth, and the Father speaks to us from HEAVEN.
John 14:2 Jesus said when on earth “In my Fathers house are many rooms.” So the Father is in a different place. He is preparing for us. He is not HERE.
Jesus often speaks of His father “in heaven.”
* He told us children’s angels behold the face of His father IN HEAVEN (Matthew 18:10)
* He said the Father would give us the true bread FROM HEAVEN (John 6:32)
* Jesus repeats that our sins will be forgiven by the Father IN HEAVEN (Mark 11:25-26)
I don’t know, I have been taught since I was like, 5 years old to believe the Father is in Heaven on a throne, Jesus came to earth and died, rose again, and was seated at the Fathers right hand. But somehow, as I considered what the Bible says about our Father in heaven, I was totally fascinated with this truth! It gave me a fresh understanding that my true, beloved Father, is in a whole different place, atmosphere, and spiritual dimension from me! He communicated by sending His Son “down” to us.
(BTW) This it also repeats over and over. Jesus came “down” the Holy Spirit came “down”
So the spirit realm is all around us, but Heaven is above us! Way above I am guessing! In fact, when Jesus fulfilled his earthly mission, and He went back to heaven.. He ascended! He went up up and away!
What does this mean for our prayer life? Is the Father too far away to see or hear our cry for help?
Contraire. Somehow, being the great and awesome being He is, although He sits on a white throne surrounded by myriads of angels and saints judging the universe, Yet He somehow hears His children when they call.
1 Peter 3:12 says God sees us and His ears are constantly open to our cry!
Also, as I just shared, twice the Father spoke from Heaven! How did He do that? I do not know! But clearly He does hear us, and He knows us.
1 John 5:6-8 also says that the Spirit bears witness… So I do believe there is a correlation. God is three in one, so What the Spirit hears, God hears. And Jesus said in John 15:16 “whatsoever thing you ask in my name HE (the Father) will give it to you. So there is an importance in knowing that from earth, we must go through the channel He has given: His Son. To do so, you must receive the Son, Jesus, into your life, by believing He died for you, repenting of Sin and wrong doing, and surrendering your very self into His hands. Then the Holy Spirit comes in to dwell with you, and by the Spirit, which is connected in perfect, unity to the Son, your prayers are heard, received, and answered in accordance with the perfect will and divine judgment of the Father.
Whew!
I think this is so cool!
I have provided more verses in the Bible study I will send out to my subscribers. If you would like to dive in further contact me in the link in the show notes and Ill send one out lickety split!
But getting back to HEAVEN:
“Who art in heaven” means our Father has a perspective unique and far broader than anything we can see from our tiny little viewpoint here on earth. When someone we love is fighting for His life in a hospital, it’s easy to get swept away in the bad news a doctor shares. When the outcome of our prayer is no where near what we were hoping, it’s easy to think God does not care or listen.
The reality is this: God, our Father, has a HEAVENLY perspective! He answers prayer with an eye on its’ ETERNAL value. He is aware of the heavenly beauty that we may be keeping a loved one from when we beg for a healing. He is aware of the difference a hardship may have on a human soul growing stronger and finding God through the difficulties and sorrows they encounter.
my last podcast was called “Answers in the Unanswered” where I did my best to address those prayers that seem to go unheeded by the Father. I found it interesting as I read the story of Rees Howells, one of the most incredible and deeply devoted intercessors in the last century, He often believed for things that did not come to pass. Such as deeply interceding along with the college he led that world war 2 would not happen. Yet it did! Rees Howells did not allow such disappointments to fracture his faith.
Of such things Rees believed a divine principle was at work: “Apparent failure was a stepping stone to greater victory.”
Or: Heavens Agenda always trumps our earthly desires and is always BETTER than what we request.
FIRST God is your Father who loves, adores, and desires the very best for you.
And then understand: His answers come from an indescribably beautiful place, with an eternal perspective.
Therefore I believe This phrase “who art in heaven” is a call to pray by seeking God for a heavenly perspective.
When we are not shown God’s heavenly perspective, we still must trust His decisions come from a place of unconditional love and the wisdom of eternity.
There was a time I was battling for my spiritual life. Sin had left me with loss, emptiness, and a sense I was stuck in a dark pit with no hope of escape.
I heard Gods voice, somehow, echoing in that pit “whatever you do, make it to heaven.”
Heaven? I wondered. I was trying to survive and get over my shame and losses. How could heaven make a difference? I knew heaven was real, but too esoteric to matter much in this life. Did it?
Yet this message from God seemed clear: even If I was a complete failure on earth and yet believed unto salvation, I would have gained the greatest gift of all: eternal life.
The very next day a friend said she felt led to give me a book called “My time in heaven” written by Robert Sigmund. The book cover declared “A true story of dying and coming back.”
No one can say whether Richard Sigmund truly experienced heaven or not, but the book certainly gave me a fresh viewpoint of what heaven could be.
In fact, I devoured that paperback. As I read Dr Sigmunds incredible story of being dead for 8 hours after a car wreck, heaven became more than ethereal clouds with robed people floating around on them. Heaven, according to Sigmund, was actually a continuation of our earthly life!
For instance, Sigmund wrote “Every song, every note, every word you are taught stays with you throughout eternity.There is no end to learning.”
The things we love to do on earth we will do in heaven in bigger and better ways! The purpose we had on earth would continue into our next life with so much more besides.
Heaven is really what it’s all about.
Getting there.
Getting others there.
Serving God well while in our early tent so we can hear “well done my good and faithful servant,” when we get there.
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