Some people said that the special characteristic of Christian life begins with this prayer "Our Father in heaven." When we call the Lord of all things in the universe "Our Father," we've entered into a new relationship with God. In the Old Testament time, there's a large distance between people and God because of sin. Today, many still have the same perception of God, thinking that He's above all things and has nothing to do with us, and it might be better not to have anything to do with God. It's like those who are used to darkness, for they are intimidated by light. Therefore, when Moses led the Israelites to Mount Sinai to see God, the Israelites told Moses: "Go meet God alone and just come back to tell us what He said; we don't want to speak to God directly because we might die." It was better to keep a safe distance from God.
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In the New Testament time, Jesus delivered a revolutionary teaching to us, which tells us we can come before God's throne of grace directly, and call Him our Abba Father. In the Sermon of Mount, Jesus said "out Father in heaven" sixteen times, which clearly explained the characteristic of Christian life through this new father-and-son relationship. Christians and God are no longer in a relationship of fear and reverence; He is an friendly God and we can unite with Him in our inner life. Our Father in Heaven, the Almighty God of most high, master of eternity, king of righteousness and peace, have become the loving Heavenly Father in our lives today. This is such a precious truth! Therefore, when we pray, we ought to say "our Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name." The Lord's name is worthy of our praise, and the Lord's many names are also God's promise to us - Jehovah Jared, "on the mountain of the Lord it will be provided"; Jehovah Rapha, He's the God who's willing to heal us; Jehovah Roi, He's the shepherd of our life. We can hold on to the names of God daily and lift them high, and Lord will fill us with His glorious joy.
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Next, "your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." This is the priority in our life. We must first seek God's kingdom and His righteousness, so when we pray we first ask for His kingdom to come. How will His kingdom come? When God's will is done on earth, His kingdom is here. When we pray this prayer, we are willing to follow God's will. When we humble ourselves before Him and follow His will, God's kingdom will come into our lives!
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