Drawing Nigh to God....series

 

Drawing Nigh to God

by

Minnie E. Dauphinee

 

After This Manner Pray...."Our Father Which Art in Heaven"

"The disciples has been with Christ, and they knew that there was a connection between His prayer life an the wondrous power that attended His words and His works. Often they saw Him come from some secluded place where He had spent hours, or an entire night, in prayer. Sometimes they were near enough to hear Him. He poured out His heart to God as though He were in His visible presence. It was on such an occasion that , overwhelmed with a sense of their inability to pray, they said, "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1). Though they were ministers of the gospel, they were not ashamed to acknowledge their lack of power in prayer.

In answer to their request Jesus repeated the Lord's Prayer in almost the same words as He had given it in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:9-15).

This was as much as to say, "If you will live out the principle set forth in this prayer, you will have the very power which you desire." May we not believe then, that if we understand the meaning of this prayer and live out its principles in our lives, we too will have that power in prayer for which we long.

"When ye pray, say, Our Father which are in heaven." What a wonderful manifestation of the love of Jesus to allow us to call His Father our Father! This makes Jesus our Elder Brother. And marvel of marvels, He assures us that His Father loves us as much as He loves Him (John 17:23). Throughout the Bible, God is represented as a loving father. Let us think of the best earthly father our imagination can picture. Think of his love, and the joy it gives him to grant every request that is for his child's good. Then let us remember that there is no comparison between this father's love for his child and the love and tenderness of our heavenly Father and the joy that it gives Him to grand our request.

As a little child comes to his earthly father for the necessities of life and for guidance in all things, so we are to come to our heavenly Father. As little children we are to yield to His will in all things, and accept His plans for our lives. In the physical life the natural order of growth is from childhood to youth and on to maturity. In the spiritual life it is different. Growth in grace is constantly towards trusting faith of childhood. We must "become as little children" and continue as "little children"- trusting, teachable, obedient, and loving."