“With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'” (Matt 6:9, MSG; 6:10-13, NIV2)

The amazing love of our Heavenly Father gives us the opportunity to be genuine with Him in simple prayer, coming to Him just as we are. He loves us deeply; He is willing to forgive us for all of our mistakes; He hungers for our fellowship with Him. That’s how important we are to Him! This is why: “Whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (John 6:37b, NIV2). We can talk with the Most High unhindered and He will listen attentively to whatever we say. He desires to be with us that much!

We should never think, however, that we have to be perfect to talk with our Father. Many err in doing so.

It’s quite typical of humankind to think we need to be perfect. For years I have taught French to English-speaking people. Some of them refuse to try and speak French until they can speak the foreign language fluently. They end up being their own worst enemies, because by refusing to try and speak, they create a scenario where they will never be able to become fluent in this language. Those who try, however, despite their mistakes, end up speaking fluently. Prayer is the same: perfection will never occur unless we try and experience our Heavenly Father fully.

And it is simple enough to begin: “Our Father in Heaven.” Remember, we are addressing our Heavenly Daddy. Who among dads would not want to listen to what their children have to share? Sadly, in this world there are dads that don’t care one iota about their children. Fortunately, our Heavenly Father is not like that. He truly cares. He wants to help us when we are in need. He is love, and His love welcomes intimate relationship. He wants to hear from us, as we are. After all, aren’t we: “The apple of his eye” (Zech 2:8c, NIV2)? How else could He react?

“Dad, I need to talk to you.” His heart turns to butter when he hears these words. No way would He ever want to ignore us. He truly cares: “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matt 7:9-11, NIV2)

My oldest son was quite sick with a fever when he was about three years old. I decided to stay with him while my wife went to church. It was sunny outside, and we took a little walk in the back yard. All of a sudden he dropped to his knees and prayed: “Thank you God for this nice day. Amen.” This is how we should respond to our Heavenly Father, with eagerness and excitement, and soon afterwards, within hours, my son’s fever broke. Our Heavenly Father had heard his prayer. After all, He is nuts about us!

Why not experience Him now? Enjoy His abundant love!

Rob Chaffart

(To access the entire “Majestic Mountain View” devotional series, please click here.)