Prayer
...who are in heaven
Matthew 6:8-15
8 Don*'t be like them, because your Father knows
the things you need before you ask him.9 So when you pray, you should
pray like this: 'Our Father in heaven, may your name always be
kept holy. 10 May your kingdom come and what you want be done, here on
earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us the food we need for each day. 12
Forgive us for our sins, just as we have forgiven those who sinned against
us. 13 And do not cause us to be tempted, but save us from the Evil One.'
14 Yes, if you forgive others for their sins, your Father in heaven will
also forgive you for your sins.15 But if you don't forgive others, your
Father in heaven will not forgive your sins.
NCV
who are in heaven
Psalm 99:1-9 1 The Lord reigns! The nations tremble. He sits enthroned above the winged angels; the earth shakes. 2 The Lord is elevated in Zion; he is exalted over all the nations. 3 Let them praise your great and awesome name! He is holy! 4 The king is strong; he loves justice. You ensure that legal decisions will be made fairly; you promote justice and equity in Jacob. 5 Praise the Lord our God! Worship before his footstool! He is holy! 6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests; Samuel was one of those who prayed to him. They prayed to the Lord and he answered them. 7 He spoke to them from a pillar of cloud; they obeyed his regulations and the ordinance he gave them. 8 O Lord our God, you answered them. They found you to be a forgiving God, but also one who punished their sinful deeds. 9 Praise the Lord our God! Worship on his holy hill, for the Lord our God is holy! NET
Did you ever really stop to think about the concept of "in heaven?" The prayer is to a God Who is present "in heaven," in a realm far removed from the dust of the earth. This is the region of the angels. This is the home of God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. The earth is but the footstool of God. This is the One to whom Jesus prayed! This is the One to whom Jesus says we should pray!
And verse 8 of Psalm 99 tells us that not only may we pray to this God in heaven, but God listens to us and will answer us! What a wonderful comfort this should provide to each of us! The angels worship and serve God in heaven. We are to do the same on earth. We are to be like the angels in this sense, answering to God&s direction for our lives.
God is the focus of our prayers because He is the majestic, excellent, exalted One. He is the Great One. His majesty reigns over all that we say and do and accomplish. He is so much greater than we that only He is the true object of prayer and worship.
Isaiah 55:9-13 9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. 10 "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; 11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. 12 "For you will go out with joy And be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands. 13 "Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up, And instead of the nettle the myrtle will come up, And it will be a memorial to the Lord, For an everlasting sign which will not be cut off." NASB
God is sovereign. God is the author of creation. God reveals to us all of the knowledge that we possess. And, remember, Jesus is God.
Colossians 1:15-17 15
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16
For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-all
things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all
things, and in Him all things hold together. NASB
2 Peter 1:16 16 For we did not follow cleverly devised
tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. NASB
God's majesty is the height of our worship. In the Old Testament, the word translated "magnificence" or "majesty" means a thing that is marvelous and noble. The word may mean glory, honor, majesty, beauty, grandeur, or excellence in form and appearance. This God is the Person Who is glorious and the focus of all our honor and praise.
Isaiah caught the contrast between
man and God when the great prophet wrote
Isaiah 2:22 Stop regarding man, whose breath of
life is in his nostrils; For why should he be esteemed?
NASB
About God, Isaiah says, Isaiah 2:2 Now it will come about that In the last days The mountain of the house of the Lord Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it. NASB
Why "stream" to God? Because He is the One to be exalted.
