In Touch - January 15, 2006
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- Published Jan 09, 2006
In Touch Daily Devotional
by Dr. Charles Stanley
Sunday January 15, 2006
Priority of Prayer
On the subject of prayer, A. B. Simpson writes: “The first view given of God in the Lord’s Prayer is not His majesty but His paternal love. To the listening disciples this must have been a strange expression from the lips of their Lord as a pattern for them. Never had Jewish ear heard God so named, at least in His relation to the individual… No sinful man had ever dared to call God his Father.
“They, doubtless, had heard their Master use this delightful name of God… but that they should call Jehovah by such a name had never dawned upon their legal and unillumined minds. And yet it really means that we may and should recognize that God is our Father…”
The entire idea of Jesus addressing God as Father is one of personal love and devotion. You cannot know a person unless you love him or her. And you certainly cannot love God unless you know Him and realize He is intimately in love with you.
The idea of Him being your Father is one of extreme love. Regardless of what your earthly father was like, God is a Father of love, and He cares for you. His parental love is one of security, encouragement, and nurturing. Therefore, know that He has the ability to step aside from the occupation of the world’s demands to listen to your heart. For the believer, prayer is a lifeline of eternal love and hope.
