Your Father Knows

Posted by Art Nuernberg on September 2, 2011

Jesus always went right to the heart of human need when He taught. After addressing the real human tendency to pray for men rather than for God, He moves to what I believe is the principle reason people do not pray: “Do not use meaningless repetition.” A great deal of debate surrounds this phrase because it is somewhat difficult to define with certainty. Perhaps the Spirit of God has intentionally left the meaning obscure so we will not miss the stunning revelation of the Lord’s words.

I believe all men pray in one form or another at critical times. At emotional moments; times of great danger (for example, facing a life threatening disease); or at times of great opportunity (for example, competing in a championship game), passion and desire drive prayers. These prayers can be formally lifted to a deity about whom we have been taught or become vague appeals to whomever or whatever might be helpful. For the human race, most of these pleas go seemingly unheeded. Most serious health issues defeat us and most athletes will watch someone else stand on the podium. All those unanswered prayers help solidify our opinion concerning whomever or whatever we petitioned.

However, some prayers seem to be answered. People do experience remarkable reversals in health. Someone does stand on the podium. These realities press us to ask why the prayers of others were effective when ours failed. We first consider the character of those receiving answers, but no clear pattern is revealed. If the different outcomes aren't related to who was praying, then it must be that they prayed in the right way when we did not. From this belief, we conclude that bringing the right words before an amoral and calloused deity often enough will pressure him into using his powers on our behalf.

As Christians, we seldom want to admit the degree to which our failed prayers have shaped our inward attitudes about God. We also tend to emphasis right phrases and long vigils to achieve real answers to our prayers. Jesus teaches us to give up this wrong theology by revealing an amazing truth: “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”

Three prayer essentials may be drawn from this statement.

We need to know that His father's heart is tenderly concerned for us at all times and that it is always safe to come to Him with honesty.

In His love, the Father knows all about us. We are told that there are about seven billion people on this planet. Our God observes every one of them today; He watches their lives. He knows their hopes, fears, faults, and strengths. He knows everything they have been through and where their lives are headed. He knows because of his deep concern, not simply because of His omniscience. God's knowledge and divine nature enable Him to approach every individual as if each is the only one with need.

He knows the perfect answer to our essential needs because He is intimately acquainted with men. His readiness to meet these real needs is implied by His watchful concern.

When our faith is firmly rooted in this declaration about God, we are prepared to fellowship with Him in prayer. We can safely leave our lives in His hands and move on to the higher priority of seeking His kingdom and His righteousness. We are released to interact with God concerning His plan for our lives and the lives of others.

Art Nuernberg is a teacher and the Pastoral Director at EI. His posts will be added to the blog every Friday. For more information about Art or any of the other staff members, click here.