Straight to the Father - John 16

Many kids grow up thinking if they want something they should go their mom first hoping she will talk their dad into giving them what they want. Kids, including me, generally thought they had a better chance of getting what they wanted going through mom first. Jesus says something similar to this as he talks about prayer today. His main point is we can go straight to the Father. 

26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

Jesus' whole mission was to show the world God's love. If we want to know what God is like just read the four gospels. From the beginning of the gospel when Jesus is baptized by the John the Baptist his cousin, until He gives up His will to honor his Father's will by going to the cross, Jesus lives to please His Father. Jesus is modeling a healthy relationship with God, which often people find elusive in today's society. In the passage today we can learn three things about what it means to go straight to God the Father as Jesus has taught us.

 1. Though we pray in Jesus' name, we are praying to God the Father. This is why when Jesus taught us to pray he prayed, "Our Father who art in heaven." Many people start their prayers by saying, "Heavenly Father". Now it isn't ask if you start your prayer with Jesus, God isn't going to hear your prayer. But Jesus teaches us to pray to the Father like he did. 

2. God loves us. Through believing in Jesus as the Messiah the Son of God, we know have the same intimate relationship Jesus has with the Father. We see Jesus modeling this when he prays, "Abba Father!" You probably know in Jesus' culture the equivalent for the term "abba" today is "daddy". Though God the Father is to be revered as completely holy, through Jesus he is our "abba". This truth can really change your prayer life. You are praying to your Father who art in heaven. 

3. Finally, a verses earlier Jesus said, "Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete." I don't think Jesus means that we can ask whatever we want and God will answer every prayer according to what we want. The key point I would like to highlight here is the joy of prayer. God wants to give good gifts to His children. Joy is differnt than happiness. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, and a fruit of a deep relationship with God which is experienced through prayer. 

What do you need help with in your life? Do you have a hard time thinking you will go to God and He will hear you? The Good News is that through Jesus and what he has done for us and our belief in Him we can go to God the Father with anything. We can go straight to the Father and in doing so we will experience a joy the world cannot experience.

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