The Revolutionary Ingredient Jesus Can Add to Your Prayer Life

This assertion might shock you, but throughout the Old Testament, there are only about 15 specific references to God as a father. it seems early Jewish intercessors did not actively refer to the Lord as “Father” in their prayers. Nevertheless, the fatherhood of God became a pivotal dimension of spiritual engagement in the New Testament era. When Jesus stood before God, as He walked the earth, He boldly declared the following:

“Abba! Father! All things are possible for You” (Mark 14:36a).

With the single exception of the “cry of dereliction” on the cross (Matt. 27:46), Jesus continually addressed God as Father in His prayers.With His usage of the Aramaic word Abba, Jesus was introducing a whole new way of addressing God. In this, He spoke intimately, as children might speak to their father. This gracious, familial term disclosed Jesus’ heartfelt relationship. Before returning to His heavenly glory, Jesus instructed His disciples to pray in a similar way. He declared:

“Therefore pray in this manner: Our Father who is in heaven …” (Matt. 6:9).

With this unprecedented posture, Jesus was inviting his closest followers to actively share in the same relational engagement with God that He had been enjoying. What Jesus was teaching these men and women about prayer was revolutionary. He took the practice of intercession outside the judicial realm and placed it into the realm of family. This action forever transformed the meaning and scope of prayer. Although we try to make it so many other things, Jesus shows us prayer is a beautiful way of hearing, communing with and reflecting the inexplicable wonder of our heavenly Father. {eoa}

J.D. King, director of the World Revival Network and co-pastor at World Revival Church, is writing Regeneration: Healing in the History of Christianity. King is a sought-after speaker, writer and author.