Lunch: Loving Father, Holy God

By Hillary Mortensen

God is love. I discussed this in a post last week.

Do you know, though, do you realize…that God loves you? You have a perfect, loving, forgiving Father who loves you more than you can imagine. He loves you so much, it’s impossible for Him to love you anymore than He already does.

Consider this love letter from God:

When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He begins the prayer with “Our Father….” (See the Lord’s Prayer from Luke 11.) This indicates the sort of loving relationship that is possible with God. We can enjoy a privileged status as God’s adopted children, whereby we are able to talk to Him, receive from Him, and admire Him.

Stop. Reflect on Him to whom you are praying.

Jesus continued His prayer with, “hallowed be Thy name.” Or, as another translation puts it, “may your name be kept holy.” Holy is synonymous with sacred, divine power, clean, set apart, worthy of spiritual respect or devotion, and inspiring awe or reverence. To be aware of God’s holiness is to declare his weightiness. It is to say, “There is none like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is great in might.” (Jeremiah 10:6)

Let’s declare God’s holiness!:

As we pray today and every day, let’s keep this in perspective. We are talking to our loving Father—loving, compassionate, giver of gifts—who also happens to be perfectly holy—set apart, powerful, worthy, and great. We can ask God for healing, comfort, and provision, because as our dad, he wants us to have these things. At the same time, we can (and must!) acknowledge His holiness, might, and power. He is GREAT. He is GOD!…and He chooses to be in relationship with us because of His love for us.

Let’s pray like Jesus: “Father, may your name be kept holy….”

[Note: These thoughts are not my own. First and foremost, Jesus Himself taught His disciples to pray, and we are fortunate to have it recorded in the Bible. Second, I credit my pastor Aron Gibson for reminding me to frame my prayers with a loving father/holy God perspective. His sermon, Prayer: Our Most Famous Words, is available for listening here.]

Check back this afternoon for a post of one of my new favorite songs.