Week 1, day 1: Let's start praying as a family

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…” (New International Version)

“Our Father in heaven: may your holy name be honoured…” (Good News Bible)

Bern Leckie writes:

What does it mean for God to be our Father? I grew up without a father, so people sometimes reassured me that it was nice to have a heavenly Father. I didn’t always know what to make of this, but I’ve been glad to look to and rely on God as a role model when learning how to be a father myself.

Our son Noah likes the idea of an extra father, but he worked out something even more exciting for him. Jesus must be his brother and, as an only child, this is something he has often wanted!

My wife Helen loves that this family relationship we have with God is not because of what we do, like servants or dutiful religious people, but because of who we are. And I love that it is God’s choice to include us like this. Prayer, as Jesus leads us, starts with a reminder of family relationship, as well as pointing us upwards, to heaven, holiness and honour.

I spent a day with this on my mind last week while some practical work, home schooling and technical bits were doing their best to annoy me and keep my mind grounded in rubbishness.

I kept coming back to “may your holy name be honoured” and taking it as reassurance. God wants us in his family. So if his name is glorious and hallowed, shouldn’t ours be too? Is that a choice we can make by honouring God and putting him first, that everything that matters today can be defined by him?

I’m not sure that anything does matter more than recognising God as Father and enjoying his presence. That is something I want to do more often at stressful moments during Lent.