Luke 11:1-2 (NIV)

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name..”

• FATHER
• FRIEND
• JUDGE

GOD AS FATHER

Romans 8:14-15 (NIV)

“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

Abba – loving, endearing, accepting, non-rejecting
Father – authority, discipline, protecting

Knowing God as Abba only leads to lawlessness – knowing Him only as Father leads to legalism.

GOD AS FRIEND

Luke 11:5-8 (NIV)

Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

John 15:15 (NIV)

“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

James 2:23 (NIV)

“Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.

Exodus 33:11 (NIV)

“The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.”

GOD AS JUDGE

Luke 18:1-8 (NIV)

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’  4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”  6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

Could there be a legal matter preventing our prayers from being answered?

Are you ready to be awakened to your identity and rightly relate to God as Father, Friend & Judge?