Written by: April J. Buchanan
How lightly do we take those holy doctrines that reveal the beauty and power of the holy and righteous God? How many men take upon their lips in prayer the name of Jesus, call Him Lord, or cry out to God as “Father,” without truly knowing the Son or the Father? Some are not His, and of such Scripture says that their father is the devil. They do not cry out by the Spirit as those who have been redeemed and adopted as sons of God.
Do we truly consider the words, “Our Father,” or who the “you” and “we” are in Romans 8:15? Not all who cry out to Jesus will be so bold as to cry out to God, “Father.” Yet, many in the world will cry out to Jesus or to Mary or to other “saints.” But within the house of the redeemed are many who cry out “Father,” “Lord,” and know Him not. The Spirit of God does not bear witness to their profession as His children, for they are not His.
How excited men become over that verse, and how little amazement it stirs in others. It is familiar to some, and they have heard it all before. It is a verse that is used by some to stir excitement without ever exploring its depths, which would reveal such holiness and glory as to destroy euphoric highs, humble the proud, and expose hearts.
We do not cry out to God as our Father by our own wisdom or strength. The cry of adoption belongs to those who have received the Spirit of adoption. Apart from Him, men may take the name of God upon their lips in blasphemy, but the privilege of approaching Him as Father belongs to those who are His.
No man comes to the Father but through Christ, and those who come through Christ do not come by their own wisdom or strength, but by the Spirit. It is the triune work of God, even in the prayers of the saint. We come to the Father through the Son, who has redeemed us by His precious blood, and by the Spirit, through whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” Even our approach to God in prayer rests upon His gracious work toward us, for we could never establish this access by our own wisdom, strength, or merit. Those who have been bought with the precious blood of His Son come to the Father through Christ, and the Spirit works in them, leading them in truth and enabling them to pray as children of God.
Prayer guides, prayer trinkets, and prayer techniques are often men’s attempts to encourage others to pray. Yet some go further, offering prayers guided by men that presume to direct the worshipper’s approach to God or turn prayer into something most irreverent before a holy God.
The Sovereign to whom we pray has made it possible for us to come before Him. Because of Christ, we may come, knowing that our Father hears us as those who have been adopted as sons and daughters. We may pray in the Spirit, and this is not the gibberish, attention-seeking, self-exalting display of super-spirituality that prayer has so shamefully and irreverently been made to resemble.
No! Every person who has been born again has the Spirit. The believer does not need to manufacture a spiritual experience to prove His presence. We have received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
As John Bunyan so helpfully defines prayer in I Will Pray with the Spirit and with the Understanding Also:
“Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart or soul to God, through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Holy Spirit, for such things as God hath promised, or according to the Word, for the good of the church, with submission, in faith, to the will of God.”
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