Matthew 6:9-13
The Lord's Prayer
9 "This, then, is how you should pray:
" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.'
Matthew 5:13-16
Jesus Calls God Our Father
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:43-48
Your Father in Heaven
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
We learn some great things in the Gospel According to Matthew about the use of the word Father and God...Jesus often referred to God as a Father, and always talked about God as His Father...We know Jesus has an intimate, affectionate, close relationship -a special relationship and a unique one, with our Heavenly Father...And we learn He is our Father also...
When Jesus teaches us to pray, He starts with using the word's Our Father...Jesus makes the point that God is our Heavenly Father, also...In Matthew's gospel, He specifically refers to God, when He is teaching His Disciples, as your Father (also)...So here we see when Jesus says let your Light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven -He is referring to His Father as our Father, too...Then a little later in teaching us to love our enemies, He refers to His Father as your Father, again to His Disciples...Again, meaning God is our Father...
Since Jesus specifically says that God is our Father...We are children of God, and of our Father in Heaven...How great a thing to know that Jesus specifically let's us know that God is a Father to us...One reason that this is a great thing, is because Jesus is the Son of God or Son of the Blessed One (Mark 14:61)...We are children of God and a brother of Jesus...And we are to have a relationship with our Father...We are to have an intimate, affectionate, and close relationship with our Father...Why else would Jesus tell us to call God, our Father, like He is?...
One thing our Father does not do is shield us from the troubles of this world, nor did He protect or keep Jesus from going to the cross and dying for us...Our Father could have protected His first-born Son, but gave Him free will, just as He does us...And although Jesus died, He was resurrected by His Father, so He never was really alone...And with Him being our Father also, He will never leave our sides...He is there with His Son helping us, just as He was with Jesus on the cross dying...So when we are grieving and troubled and on our knees, our Father is there -and Jesus is right there on His knees right beside us praying with us to our Father in Heaven...