The Lord's Prayer: Introduction

The Lord's Prayer does come with an introduction, but most of us don't think of it that way.  It's the words, "Our Father, who art in heaven."  The reason this is considered the "introduction" is because it doesn't ask for anything.  The rest of the prayer (with the exception of the last line) is a string of "petitions" (i.e., things we are asking God to do), but here in the introduction we are simply stating who we are praying to.

Many of us start our prayers "Dear God" or "God" or "Lord" or something akin to that.  Sometimes we leave off the introduction entirely and barrel straight into the need of the moment.  All of these are fine, of course, but Jesus is urging us in this model prayer to consider who God is for us as we pray to Him:  He is our heavenly Father.

Now "father" can carry a lot of negative connotations for people because they've had less-than-perfect (and sometimes FAR-less-than-perfect) fathers.  Instead of refusing to call God "Father" because of the failings of our earthly fathers, recognize that God is the father par excellence and that all earthly fathers are measured against Him.

And what does that mean?  To have a heavenly Father?  The Reformers put it this way in the catechism:  "With these words God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father."

Notice the words: "tenderly invites us," "true Father," "as dear children ask their dear father."  When we approach our heavenly Father as His children, we are entering into the relationship that we were meant to have with our earthly fathers, too, before sin entered the world and ruined it for far too many.  But rejoice!  In God you have a true, heavenly Father.  And you can pray to Him boldly and confidently as a dearly loved child!