Daily Devotional

January 7th 2026

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WEDNESDAY

One day He was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said, “Master, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” So He said, “When you pray, say, ‘Father,’.”—Luke 11:1, 2a (MSG)

It is commendable that Jesus’ disciples wanted to follow His example of regular prayer. They saw value in prayer, and they wanted to experience a closer relationship with God. As did they, so should we.

As Jesus teaches us to pray, He begins by addressing relationship. “Father.” Effective prayer demands that we know to Whom we are praying. Addressing God as, “Father,” immediately eliminates a number of other misconceptions.

Prayer is not addressed to the Chairman of the Benevolence Committee—though God is benevolent. Sometimes our prayers take on that aspect. We come expecting the things that we think we need to be poured into our laps, and in making our appeal we are but filling out the properly prescribed forms.

Prayer is not addressed to the Chief of Investigation—though God does inspect our hearts. Prayer is not merely a confession of our wrongs, with the hope that we may throw ourselves on the mercy of the court.

Prayer is not an appeal to the Chief of the Treasury, some sort of genial Banker whom we hope to interest in financing our projects.

Prayer is addressed to One with a Parent’s heart, a Parent’s love, and a Parent’s strength. God is not a blind Force behind the inscrutable machinery of the universe. God is not simply an impersonal being, aloof from all our troubles and our problems. As our divine Parent, God is predisposed by an unfathomable love to give careful attention to what we are saying…and the motivations behind what we are saying.

As we will discover when we survey the rest of this instruction on prayer, we must always approach God with confidence and commitment—confident of God’s love and concern; committed to surrendering ourselves to God’s will for our lives.

It isn’t prayer until we recognize that we are coming to a patient and tender Parent.

Prayer: Father, thank You for inviting us to call you, “Father.” Thank You for all that is included in that wonderful picture—Your concern, Your love and Your commitment to our welfare. As we go today, teach us to trust that You are patient and tender, always welcoming us into Your arms. In the name of Jesus, our elder Brother, we pray. AMEN!

(We invite your comments. Feel free to share this devotion with your friends and invite them to subscribe by forwarding their email address to the Pastor at: fredjeffsmith@gmail.com.)

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