Matthew 6:6, 9 (NIV) (6) But when you [in the singular] pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And then in verse nine Jesus gives what we call the Lord‘s prayer. Let’s just read the first part of it. (9) “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” That first line of the Lord‘s prayer, “our father in heaven,” immediately defines us perhaps more than anything else we could pray. It says who God is to us. He is our father. The God who created this universe wants us to call him Father. Over and over this is the picture of God that Jesus teaches his disciples. And of course it’s an image that requires our imagination. Many of us have a negative image when we hear the word father. But Jesus has the ideal in mind. So imagine the ideal image of a father. You come from him. He is protecting. Loving. Providing. Comforting. Always committed. Emotionally invested. This is how Jesus wants us to see the God who created this universe in his relationship with us. Use your imagination to see God this way toward you right now. And to feel this truth in your body. Using your imagination, while you’re still focused on your deep and relaxed breathing, feel this image of God in your body. When we meditate on the God who created this universe also being our Father — we are using our imagination to see reality and to place our entire selves — including our whole body — in trusting, surrendered submission before our life-giving, light giving Creator. “Hallowed be your name” – Holy is your name. Holy be your name in me. Another word for the biblical idea of “holy” is “ultimate.” One who is gloriously transcendent. And with that implies completely pure and without any imperfection, any evil, any darkness. Sometimes this line takes away the comfort of the first line of this prayer. But the first words in this prayer — “our father in heaven” — also remind us who we are. We are citizens of heaven. We belong to the family of heaven. Heaven coming back to earth when Jesus returns. This is who we are. And your father is holy, so you are holy too… 1 Corinthians 6:11 (NIV) …You were washed, you were sanctified [same Greek word as “hallowed” in Lord’s Prayer], you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on Twitter https://twitter.com/davecover (@davecover) Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter https://twitter.com/abiggerlifepod (@ABiggerLifePod) Our audio engineer is Diego Huaman. This podcast is a ministry of https://www.thecrossingchurch.com/ (The Crossing), a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.