Coming to Your Father
Opening Prayer
Jesus, make my heart like Yours.
Read John 16:25–33
25 “Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”
29 Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. 30 Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”
31 “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. 32 “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Reread John 16:23b. Do you find yourself praying for things or this world or things of Christ?Earlier in John 5, the Pharisees were preparing to stone Jesus for daring to call God, “Father.” Now Jesus says to his disciples, “My Father is your Father. You can come to him with the same rights and privileges and intimacy I have. You can pray directly to him” (23,26). That’s the normal pattern for believers: praying to our Father by the Spirit, in Jesus’ name.
To pray in Jesus’ name (23,24,26) is to want what he wants; to ask, “what would he pray for if he were in my shoes?” It’s to pray in line with character, which we’ve seen from these chapters is loving, self-giving, other-person centered, and so on. And it’s for our joy (24). Many of us are more aware of our sin and failure than we are of the
love of the Father, the grace of Jesus and the full forgiveness we have at the cross. But Jesus wants us to pray knowing we are so loved by the Father (27) and have peace in Jesus (33). And that this is true even though our understanding is flawed (29–31), our performance is dismal (32) and we face many troubles (33).
Apply
Do you pray prayers that are in tune with the heart of Christ or the world? Examine your prayers today and determine the source.
Closing prayer
Holy Spirit, help me to pray “in Jesus’ name” and to know how loved I am by the Father and how secure I am in Christ.
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