The Lord’s Prayer, recorded in Matthew 6:9-13, introduces four facts, the “Four Rs,” that we need to remember each time we say to the Almighty God, “Our Father which art in heaven . . .” (see verse 9). The “Four Rs” are relationship, reality, realization, and responsibility. Please reflect carefully on them and intentionally consider accepting those facts in your connection with God.
I. RELATIONSHIP
A. God is called “our Father.” What a precious truth! This is the ground upon which we may approach Him with our prayers. When God made man in His image (Gen. 1:26), God became the Father of the human race in creation. But, when man fell into sin, man received a new “father” (John 8:44). Now, the only way any person can experience the Fatherhood of God is through the new birth (John 3:3, 7).
When the new birth takes place, we are immediately adopted into God’s family (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:5-7; Eph. 1:5). When we are saved, we instantly become children of God (1 John 3:1, 2). This new relationship opens up our access to His presence as our Father.
B. God not only births us into His family; He had the will, the resources, and the ability to father us. He has promised to sustain us, supply us, and care for us until we arrive home in glory (Matt. 6:25-34; 10:29-31; Phil. 4:19). We earthly fathers have the same desire within our hearts for our families, but there are times when our resources are not sufficient to meet their needs. We should never fear that with our heavenly Father (Ps. 24:1; 50:10). He is well able to meet our needs (Eph. 3:20).
II. REALITY
A. The next two words, “which art,” are filled with glory and wonder. They remind us that we serve a God who exists and who is more than a figment of our imagination.
In fact, faith in the existence of God is the very ground upon which we may approach Him (Heb. 11:6). This verse teaches us that we must believe God exists and that He hears and answers prayer; otherwise, we are merely praying to Him in vain. God is real, and when you call on His Name, you are reaching up to One who hears you and who will move in response to your need!
B. We serve a God who is, not a God who was and not a God who will be someday. But, as God told Moses in Exodus 3:14, His name is “I AM that I AM!” This reminds us that God is the self-existent, eternal One. He has existed unchanged from all eternity past, He continues to exist in the present, and He will continue unchanged into the vast reaches of eternity future.
C. Since God is real and changes not, you and I can approach Him with confidence, resting in His reality. Prayer is not an exercise in futility! Because God is real, prayer is real! Because God is real, there is power in prayer. Rest in that hope and exercise your right to enter His presence!
III. REALIZATION
A. When the Bible tells us that our Father dwells “in heaven,” it is telling us that He occupies a place of honor, glory, and power. Since He is in heaven, He is above the evils and problems of this world. Since He is in heaven, He is in a position to move in power in response to our petitions. Since He is in heaven, He is in a position to be exalted and honored by those who dwell below.
B. When we pray:
1. We should enter His presence humbly. Our Father is God! He made this world. He is holy. He is wonderful. We, on the other hand, are vile and wicked (Isa. 64:6). In fact, when we do enter, we can only do so through Jesus, our Savior and Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5). But, when we come in His name, the name of Jesus, we can be assured of an audience and an answer (John 14:13, 14; 15:16; 16:23, 24).
2. We should enter His presence confidently. This may sound like a contradiction, but it isn’t. Even as we humble ourselves before God, let us pray in faith, believing that He will hear us and answer us for His glory. To approach Him in doubt is to slam the door of prayer (James 1:6-8), but to approach Him in simple faith is to guarantee the success of our prayers (Matt. 21:22; Mark 11:22-24; 1 Tim. 2:8).
3. We should enter His presence worshipfully. When we approach the Lord in prayer, we need to remember to whom we are speaking. He is God. He is Lord. He is awesome! Let us come into His presence to worship, honor, and glorify Him. To do so places us in a position of close communion with Him and opens the storehouses of His glory in our lives.
4. We should enter His presence hopefully. Our Father is already in our heavenly home, and He awaits our appearance there. Therefore, when we pray, we are merely turning our attention toward home. We look away, by faith, to that eternal homeland that awaits us. We are not seeking answers to prayer that are rooted in the troubles and problems of this life. We are seeking heavenly benefits. We are seeking those things which originate in our new home.
IV. RESPONSIBILITY
A. You will notice that God is called “our Father.” He is not just my Father or your Father; He is our Father. This reminds us that when we pray, we have a responsibility to pray as part of a family.
B. We have the duty before the Lord to pray one for another. We are to carry one another’s burdens to the throne of grace (Gal. 6:2; Phil. 2:4).
C. Remember, we have no right to pray for things that are selfish in nature. We must remember to structure our prayers so that they reflect that which is best for the whole family of God, not just what we think is best for us. For instance, when there is a situation at church that needs prayer, we should not ask God to work things out the way we want them worked out. We should pray that God will do that which is best for His family and for His glory, even if it isn’t what we want! He isn’t only “my Father;” He is “our Father!”
CONCLUSION
Today we have learned four ways to accept God our Father. We have studied the “Four Rs” introduced in the Lord’s Prayer. Before we pray to close our message, I would like to ask the following: How many of you would like to accept these four facts—relationship, reality, realization, and responsibility—as we pursue a deeper communication with the living God? May God bless you! May our prayers be also acceptable in His sight! Let’s pray.
General Conference Ministerial Association
