When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father…”

John 17:1

HOW JESUS REFERENCED GOD

It is very interesting to me how Jesus referred to God both when He addressed Him directly, as well as when He spoke of Him to others. When Jesus spoke to God, He called Him Father nearly every time that we have record of in Scripture. When Jesus taught on prayer, He said to use the term Father.

Why would the term Father be so emphasized? In order to answer that question, let’s explore what the word “father” means. In Hebrew, father is the originator and transmitter. By calling God His Father, Jesus was identifying His connection with and dependence on His Originator, the Person who He received all things from. This was His way of keying in on His relationship with the Father at every opportunity.

Taking this knowledge, it also explains why He taught us to do likewise in prayer. Just as Jesus highlighted His relationship with the Father, He taught us to do the same thing for the same reasons. Why is this matter so important? It is as important as it is because it emphasizes the fact, in every prayer and communication, that we are dependent on the power of our Originator and Transmitter for all things. It is because of our connection to Him that we prevail. It is because of our connection to Him that we are what we are and we have what we have.

Notice the prayer above, before He asked for anything, He pointed to the relationship that He has with God. This is because Jesus was depending on the relationship, or connection to produce the answer to His requests.

This is very important for us to grasp as it is the basis of our salvation. We are connected, or united with God…and we communicate that by calling Him by the Title that reveals it…Father.

So when you pray, do not gloss over the Title by which we have been privileged to refer to God. In fact, embrace Him as Jesus suggested and showed by example by calling Him Father, thus sharing your revelation of the connection that has been restored to you by Jesus.

God is your very own Father!