Text- Matthew 6:9 – “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.”
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, He prompted them to start their prayers with the phrase, “Our Father who art in heaven”. This somehow portends that the title God prefers to be addressed by is “Father”.
As such, it is highly expedient for us to properly understand the meaning and significance of God being our father. Indeed, our lives would take a new turn when we fully grasp the picture of God as our Father, who loves us, cares about us, provides for us, and protects us.
But it doesn’t end there. There are many more things that our father who art in heaven does for us, as His children. Jeremiah 3:4 tells us one of them:
Will you not from this time cry to Me, “My Father, You are the guide of my youth?”
Our father ‘who art in heaven’ is our guide. He promises to guide us all the way through our lives. In the 48th Psalm, the psalmist said, ‘For this God is our God forever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end’ (v.14).
If you have a GPS in your car, its job is to guide you to your destination. Even when you take wrong turns, it reroutes you. Your GPS never gives up on you no matter how many mistakes you have made; it keeps leading on till you arrive at your destination.
Your GPS is so committed to getting you to your destination, that if you end up not getting there, it’s because you chose to either overlook it or turn it off. If you diligently follow your GPS, it makes your journey more pleasant and smooth. And in the end, it will announce to you 'You have arrived at your destination'
You see, that is exactly how God seeks to guide you to the place of your destiny. If you don’t fulfil destiny, it would be because you either decided to ignore His leading or turn off your discernment completely. God is so committed to guiding you through life that no amount of mistakes you make cam make Him give up on you.
I like how Charles Ebbert Orr depicts God’s guidance in his own life:
“With the unknown expanse before me, and I, in my ignorant finiteness, not knowing which way to take, rejoice exceedingly in my heart to be permitted to commit my way unto God… He knows the best way and will direct in tender care my every step. He guides me with his eye, and leads me by his own right hand beside the still waters and into green pastures.”
So many believers are troubled with anxiety, unrest, dissatisfaction, worries and fears because they are attempting to direct their own way, and then their limitations and inadequacies steer them in the eye. How much better would it be to go through life trusting in God and allowing Him to guide us every step of the way?
Indeed, the secret of a happy and successful life is to let God lead us. He is our father who art in heaven – our guide, even unto the end.
PRAYER
My Father who art in heaven, thank you for your promise to be my guide. Thank you that I am not on my own. I receive grace to go through life trusting in You and allowing You to guide me every step of the way in Jesus Name.
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