September 10

“In order to strengthen our confidence in God, Christ teaches us to address Him by a new name, a name entwined with the dearest associations of the human heart. He gives us the privilege of calling the infinite God our Father. This name, spoken to Him and of Him, is a sign of our love and trust toward Him, and a pledge of His regard and relationship to us. Spoken when asking His favour or blessing, it is as music in His ears. That we might not think it presumption to call Him by this name, He has repeated it again and again. He desires us to become familiar with the appellation.”

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Prayer is our main form of communication with God, at least so far as speaking to Him is concerned. I love the description that Dwight Nelson gives of his morning worship procedure. He has a corner of the house for his morning worship. He makes a drink, takes up his Bible and notebook and then settles down for his time with God.

The Bible is opened and a passage is selected, and worked over. The notebook is there to record what the passage says but also is there to outline what God is asking Dwight to do. The notebook is also there to help Dwight know what to talk to His Father about.

Our short text, from Christ’s Object Lessons, we’re reading from the bottom of page 141, is a reminder of the intimacy of this prayer, and of how God would have us speak – and what kind of God we serve as His children.

God actually wants us to call Him by name, often. We are not to think of the Name as so sacred that we dare not utter it. We are to be familiar with God as Daddy.

There is another side to God that we have seen already. Some people don’t like to ask God for things. Indeed we shouldn’t focus on asking for ‘things’, but some people take this to an extreme and ask for nothing. The short passage reminds us that asking is what God wants us to do as it reminds Him, and us, of our need of Father.

Today, make sure that you ask for something from God by name. You might ask for something for your prayer partner. That means you would probably need to ask your prayer partner what their need is.

You might recognise the need to ask for something for one, or all of your interests. That again would mean talking about your interests, and that means getting to know them, and probably asking their permission to pray for them.

You might also ask for something yourself, and that again means communicating with your own needs, and revealing how much you are in need of the Father in your life.

And then, of course, you will ask for the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life.