Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Matthew 6:8
Jesus described God as a father – as your Father. God is neither male nor female. But God is attentive and caring like a parent is (or should be).
When we pray, we often tell God everything that is happening in our world as if he doesn’t know. I am guilty of this. I lay down to sleep and immediately start telling God about all the bad things that are happening. It is as if I am telling him that he should be concerned about the things that concern me. As my pastor put it, God doesn’t need our intelligence briefing. He knows.
God wants us to come to him with our needs, even though he already knows what they are. He doesn’t even mind it when we lay our burdens at his feet.
In teaching us how to pray, Jesus said that our Father knows what we need before we ask, therefore…
- Praise his holy name
- Pray for more of him
- Let go of our ideas about how things should be and ask for his will to be done
- Ask him to provide our daily needs
- Ask for forgiveness
- Pray for deliverance from temptation
God is omniscient, all-knowing. He knows what we need. He knows what our future holds.
Father God, thank you for loving a sinner like me. You are my ever-present help in times of trouble. Help me to let go of my worries about this broken world and to trust your omniscience and omnipotence. I pray for those who are suffering and for the oppressed. Amen
Innermost Being 