In the first stanza of this prayer, we are introduced to the importance of whom we are addressing. We must have a personal and living relationship with the God of heaven before we can address Him as our Father. This relationship must be secured through the acceptance of the sacrifice of God’s one and only Son, Jesus Christ. The new covenant was purchased through the blood of Christ. The phrase “Our Father in heaven” means these following four things.
He is the God of love. 1 John 4:16, “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.”
He is the God, our Father, who created us. Malachi 2:10, “Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously with one another by profaning the covenant of the fathers?”
He is our Father by covenant because of Jesus, His Son. Hebrews 13:20-21, “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
He grants us His divine nature to operate in this world. This is granted because of this covenant, by virtue of partaking of Christ and accepting His free gift of grace. Galatians 4:6, “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’" 2 Peter 1:3-4, “ …as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
“Your kingdom come”
If we ask for His kingdom to come, we acknowledge that we are not in it or a part of it as long as we are here on earth. We ask Him to lovingly enable us to perform His will, not our own. We ask Him to perform His will through us the same way it is done in the kingdom in heaven, and we acknowledge that His will is better than our own.
Prayer is the wrestling arena where we exercise, bruise, and bring into submission our will. Our will is the most stubborn and rebellious of all the components of our being. Have you ever noticed how hard it is to just settle down and rest before the LORD when in prayer? Is it hard for you to just stop and listen for His voice? Is it hard for you to be calm and to quiet those inner voices in your soul? Do you have a quiet time or quiet place to retreat to when you want to get alone with God? If not, you should.
Our will plays a major part with all these components. If we don’t spend time practicing our surrender to His will and resting in His holy presence, we will truly find it very difficult to pray when we really need to. Prayer is often thought of as being a one-way conversation. It is not. Prayer allows us to commune and fellowship with our Creator. It allows us to gain insight into His wisdom and plan for our lives. Prayer allows us to find the pathway to walk on as we travel through this world. It helps us to keep our armor on and our loads of life light. Remember, His yoke is easy and His burden is light.