How to Approach Father God
“I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; Incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech.” (Psalm 17:6)
Do you ever remember when you were young – calling out to your father to say…
“Dad, I am calling out to you, and will you listen to me when I call so you can hear my voice and ask why I’m calling you!”
I do not recall such a time, because it never happened. If I did, I would remember what would have happened to me. From observations, it is perfectly acceptable in other cultures in the most disrespectful way, but not in my culture. I’ve certainly heard worse things children in this generation say to their parents. We were brought up to address our parents in a certain tone and to use acceptable words. A high level of respect and honour was expected of us. A certain level of fear was instilled in us. It was the fear of the consequences of doing the exact opposite of the cultural norm.
But for David in Psalm 17:6; (“I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; Incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech.”) models for us the right perspective, the right approach and the right tone. Why? Because he knows the heart of the Father. He fears Him, but not like we did with our parents, but out of reverence.
He had the right confidence to approach the Father with the right level of expectancy. David knew who he was, because he was chosen by the Father. He was solid in his confidence. So he calls on the Father with boldness like a son who knows his father intimately. He calls on the Father with absolute knowledge of the attentiveness of the Father’s heart. It speaks of their relationship – Father with the son, and son with the Father.
Is this the benchmark for a father-son relationship? Consider Jesus’ relationship with the Father. He too approaches the Father with bold assurance, and calls Him “Abba”, and it conveys deep intimacy and trust.
There are so many of us who still have the wrong idea about who the Father is. Our relationship with Him is based on our own fathers’ failures to model a loving relationship, one out of reverence, honour and respect, and not fear. It affects our relationship with our wives, our sons and daughters, and ultimately with our Father in heaven.
The Bible says before you call, He will answer, and while you are speaking, He will hear. (Isaiah 65:24). But we need to posture our hearts toward Him – to call unto Him and to speak to Him. This speaks of an active relationship. To receive, we need to be ready to receive. It speaks to the heart of the Father, His unfailing love to you and me as sons.
My encouragement for us today is to reassess our knowledge and understanding of who the Father is. He has called you and me to receive the spirit of sonship, so we are no longer slaves but sons of the most powerful Father in the universe. (Galatians 4:4-7.)
In His richest blessings
Frank Po Ching
P.S. Join our men’s Zoom group this Friday at 6.30am and start your day with great conversation. We will be discussing this article by Frank Po Ching: Assurance that God Hears You. To join the Zoom meeting go to https://zoom.us/join with Meeting ID: 890 3222 8562 and Passcode: PKFriday