Volume 1 · Week 6 — Learning to Pray
Day 38 — Praying with Trust
Main verse
“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven […]”
— Matthew 6:9 (excerpt) (KJV)
Meditation
Jesus teaches his disciples to begin their prayer with these words: “Our Father.” This name reveals the relationship God invites us to enter.
We are not approaching a stranger who must be persuaded to take an interest in us. We come before a Father who knows our needs, understands our weaknesses, and welcomes us with compassion.
Our human experiences, however, can make this trust difficult. Some people have known an absent, harsh, or unpredictable father. The word “father” may then evoke fear more than safety. Jesus does not ask us to project the limitations of our human relationships onto God. Instead, he reveals the true Father, whose love does not depend on our merit.
To pray with trust is to believe that God hears us, that our lives are precious in his sight, and that he will act according to his wisdom and love, even when his answer differs from what we desire.
A child who feels safe does not need to prepare a perfect speech before speaking. The child comes with needs, joys, and tears. In the same way, the Spirit assures us that we are God’s children and enables us to cry, “Abba, Father.”
Trust does not remove all our questions. It allows us to place them in the hands of the One who loves us.
Psalm
Psalm 103:13 (KJV)
13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.
Further Bible reading
Matthew 6:7–13; Romans 8:14–17
Suggested hymn
The Church Hymnal (1941), no. 320 — “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”
Prayer
Our Father, teach me to approach you with trust. Heal the wounds that distort my understanding of your love. When I doubt, remind me that I am your child. Receive my needs, my questions, and my fears, and keep me in your peace. Amen.
A thought to keep
I pray as a child welcomed by the Father, rather than as someone merely tolerated.
Personal Notes
What would you like to remember, pray about, or put into practice today?