We are studying the section of "thankfulness" and we must ask God to give us grace to sanctify us in our daily lives. And so we see how important and needed prayer is. It is also intuitive to the child of God and his native breath and his very heartbeat. We look at cultivating our prayer life and we too ask "Lord teach us to pray!" He does this and now we are given foundation as we look at the address of our prayers.

Our Father starts by drawing us to a very important relationship. "Our Father which art in Heaven." Even though the world fades in this concept we must understand and continue to see this figure as we to the best of our ability are good parents as we see this figure. We too have rights and privileges and can rely on them for complete security and know that we will be given everything needed...an inheritance! What we experience in our relationships stand as only a faint reflection of our relationship to God as our earthly relationships are so often times limited. The mighty God and the awesome God however is OUR Father!!! If we as earthly fathers do all these things for our children, how much more will the almighty God to us?! To Him we pray and it is He who is our Father!

"...which art in heaven." He is OUR Father as we stand in the relationship of the church. Although we may pray personally, we may never have an earthly concept of Him. His is our Father and is the almighty God who sits in heaven. The almighty God who cares for our every need! How can this possibly be? We have NO right by nature but are children by the grace of God, adopted in the blood of the Lamb, His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ! Adopted! We are children by adoption which is the very pattern for adoption here. God, in Christ, made US His children! It is rooted in His eternal love and compassion and even before the foundations of the world beloved! He does what no earthly father or parent can do, calling us by His Spirit within us as He forms us, molds us to live to His glory! We perform to His grace as His work is always effective (even within us.)

What a blessing we have. Everything we bring to God in prayer has that assurance. That we can pray to our Heavenly Father and He will give or withhold and give us whatever is good for us. Do we even need to entertain the doubt that God will not lead us onward? He gave us His Son with whom He redeemed us and will lead us in the best way possible on to glory. He will guide us, and one day take us into the eternal abode. The very inheritance given us from the Father. The inheritance incorruptible that belongs to us in Christ!