Some of My Very Best Gifts

My Beloved,

Far too often in your world, children and their fathers have great difficulty communicating. Sometimes this situation is because of non-communicative fathers. Other times, however, children go through periods where they don't want to talk with their fathers because they feel their fathers cannot understand their problems or the world in which they live. On the other hand, some children are just rebellious and don't want their father interfering in their lives.

My Abba Father, your Abba in heaven, doesn't want these obstacles to come between you and Him. Your heavenly Father wants you to know how to communicate with Him. He wants you to seek Him even when you don't know what to say or when you don't know how to say what's on your heart. Today, I want to give three assurances that when you speak to the Father, He hears you:

• Remember that He is your loving Abba Father — you come to him as His beloved child (Romans 8:15-16).
• You can know that even simple words will be heard (Luke 11:1-13).
• The Holy Spirit intercedes for you (Romans 8:26-27).

Providing you with words to speak to God and assuring you that God will hear you are some of the greatest gifts I can give you. Please be blessed and take great advantage of being able to speak with the Creator of the universe as your Father. Know that whenever and wherever you choose to draw near to speak to Him, he will listen to you!

My first disciples wanted to learn how to pray. They had seen Me pray many times. They knew I would sometimes withdraw from everything and spend time with the Father. My disciples knew that one of the great blessings a teacher gave his disciples was to teach them to pray. So, their request was a good one. I hope you long for Me to guide you in how to pray. Please notice all the different times I prayed in My life and ministry. Pay attention to how I prayed, where I prayed, and what I prayed. Today, My beloved disciple, I want you to know that prayer is not about saying a lot of different or magical or profound words that sound religious. You are My Father's child, too. Your prayers don't need to impress Him. He longs to hear from you. So, please, don't focus on your words, but on your relationship with the Father. Be honest and simple in what you pray. Recognize that only a few things are truly essential in life and in your Christian service and focus on them.

Another time Jesus was praying, and when He finished, one of His disciples approached Him.

Disciple:

Teacher, would You teach us Your way of prayer? John taught his disciples his way of prayer, and we're hoping You'll do the same.

Jesus:

Here's how to pray:

Father in heaven.
May Your kingdom come.
Give us the food we need for tomorrow,
And forgive us for our wrongs,
for we forgive those who wrong us.
And lead us away from temptation.

Imagine that one of your friends comes over at midnight. He bangs on the door and shouts, "Friend, will you lend me three loaves of bread? A friend of mine just showed up unexpectedly from a journey, and I don't have anything to feed him." Would you shout out from your bed, "I'm already in bed, and so are the kids. I already locked the door. I can't be bothered"? You know this as well as I do: even if you didn't care that this fellow was your friend, if he keeps knocking long enough, you'll get up and give him whatever he needs simply because of his brash persistence!

So listen: Keep on asking, and you will receive. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened for you. All who keep asking will receive, all who keep seeking will find, and doors will open to those who keep knocking.

Some of you are fathers, so ask yourselves this: if your son comes up to you and asks for a fish for dinner, will you give him a snake instead? If your boy wants an egg to eat, will you give him a scorpion? Look, all of you are flawed in so many ways, yet in spite of all your faults, you know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to all who ask!
(Luke 11:1-13)

And, My beloved disciple, even when you don't get your words exactly correct, or when you can't find the right words to express your heart, remember that I have given you the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is your spiritual DNA that connects you to God as your Abba Father. You are His beloved child. The Spirit will take your emotions, your confusion, and your concerns to the Father. When you don't have words, point your heart to heaven and ask the Spirit to take your groanings, including those that are too deep for words, and present them acceptably to the Father. He is your Abba. You are His child. The Spirit is your assurance. Offer the Father your heart, your emotions, and your fears, and the Holy Spirit will make them all known to our Father!

You see, you have not received a spirit that returns you to slavery, so you have nothing to fear. The Spirit you have received adopts you and welcomes you into God's own family. That's why we call out to Him, "Abba! Father!" as we would address a loving daddy. Through that prayer, God's Spirit confirms in our spirits that we are His children.
...
A similar thing happens when we pray. We are weak and do not know how to pray, so the Spirit steps in and articulates prayers for us with groaning too profound for words. Don't you know that He who pursues and explores the human heart intimately knows the Spirit's mind because He pleads to God for His saints to align their lives with the will of God?
(Romans 8:15-16; 26-27)

O Father, thank you! Thank you for adopting me into your family. Thank you for hearing my prayers. Thank you for the Holy Spirit who communicates my emotions and my longings and my fears to you. Please hear my prayer this day:

Father in heaven.
May Your kingdom come.
Give us the food we need for tomorrow,
And forgive us for our wrongs,
for we forgive those who wrong us.
And lead us away from temptation.

In the name of Jesus, my hero, Lord, and older brother, I pray. Amen.