There are many believers who know God as Creator, but very few truly know Him as Father. Many know Him as a mighty God, a consuming fire, the Lord of Hosts, the One who sits upon the circle of the earth. These things are true. Yet, when Jesus Christ taught His disciples how to pray, He did not begin with power. He began with relationship.
“Our Father who art in heaven…”Matthew 6:9
This was not just a prayer format. It was a revelation.
Prayer in the Kingdom is not merely about speaking words into the atmosphere. Prayer is an access system. The tragedy with many believers is that they have mastered prayer points but have not understood the mystery of access. In this Kingdom, access is everything. There are realms your fasting cannot bring you into if relationship does not authorize your stay there.
Jesus could have said, “Almighty God who rules the nations.” He could have said, “Jehovah, the Ancient of Days.” But He intentionally said, “Our Father.” That means before petitions, before requests, before warfare, before intercession, there must first be the revelation of sonship.
Many believers approach God like strangers standing outside a gate. Yet heaven is inviting them to come as sons.
Recently, I had a revelation of the fatherhood of God. I disobeyed God’s instruction (not intentionally) to start a new business. I was running a different business at the time. Not long, I ran into a problem and I lost the business. That was my only source of income, so I became sad and hopeless. But God proved Himself as my father and still continue to meet all my needs through other channels. He is a father indeed.
Why Jesus Started with “Our Father”
The first thing Jesus wanted to establish in the hearts of His disciples was identity. In the Kingdom, before function comes relationship. Before assignment comes sonship. Many believers are trying to operate spiritual power without understanding spiritual identity.
When Jesus said “Our Father,” He revealed something powerful about the nature of God. God is not merely interested in having servants around Him; He desires sons.
A delivery man can come to a wealthy man’s mansion and stand nervously at the gate waiting for permission to enter. But the son does not need to explain himself at the gate. The son enters with confidence, not because he is powerful, but because relationship has granted him access.
This is the mystery many believers have not understood.
There are believers who pray every day but still feel distant from God because they approach Him with the mentality of strangers. They pray hoping God will tolerate them instead of understanding that through Christ they have become accepted in the Beloved.
Your confidence in prayer will always be connected to your understanding of who you are to God.
Thy Mystery of Access
In every kingdom there are protocols of access. Access is one of the greatest spiritual currencies. There are places your talent cannot bring you into. There are doors intelligence alone cannot open. Access changes everything.
Prayer is not merely talking. Prayer is authorized approach.
When Adam sinned in Eden in Genesis 6, the first thing humanity lost was access. Man was driven away from the presence of God. The flaming sword stood at the gate, announcing a painful reality: separation had entered the human experience.
This is why throughout Scripture you see men longing for God’s presence. David cried, “Cast me not away from thy presence”– Psalm 51:11 Moses said, “If thy presence go not with us, carry us not up hence.” Exodus 33:15. Humanity was suffering from separation.
Then Jesus came.
And one of the greatest miracles of the cross was not only forgiveness. It was restored access.
The Bible says we should “come boldly unto the throne of grace.” Hebrews 4:16. Notice the language. Not timidly. Not fearfully. Boldly.
Think about Queen Esther. Even though she was queen, approaching the king without invitation could cost her life – Esther 4:11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days.”. Yet through Christ, believers can approach the King of Glory with confidence. The veil has been torn. The barrier has been removed.
Please hear this carefully: Jesus did not come only to take men to heaven. He came to bring men back to the Father.
“Who Art in Heaven – Understanding God’s Position
Many people love the idea of God as Father, but they forget the second part: “Who art in heaven.”
Yes, He is Father, but He is still enthroned in majesty.
This is where many believers lose balance. Some have reverence without intimacy, while others have familiarity without honor. But true spiritual maturity is the ability to combine intimacy with reverence.
A child may laugh with his father at home, but when that same father sits on the throne as king, the child understands authority.
- God is loving, but He is also holy.
- God is merciful, but He is also glorious.
- God is near, but He is also exalted above all.
When reverence is missing, prayer becomes casual and powerless. When intimacy is missing, prayer becomes religious and fearful. But when both work together, prayer becomes powerful.
This is why Jesus taught us to say, “Our Father who art in heaven.” He wanted believers to understand both closeness and majesty.
Why Many People Struggle In Prayer
Many believers struggle in prayer because they have an orphan mentality.
The prodigal son is a powerful example. After wasting his inheritance, he returned home rehearsing a speech of unworthiness. “Make me as one of thy hired servants.” – Luke 15:19. In his mind, he had lost sonship. But when the father saw him, the father restored him as a son.
This is exactly how many believers approach God today.
- They pray from guilt.
- They pray from condemnation.
- They pray as though Jesus never died.
Every mistake makes them feel rejected. Every weakness convinces them that heaven is tired of them. So instead of running to God, they hide from Him just like Adam hid from God in Genesis 3:10 “So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
But hear me: if your confidence before God depends only on your personal performance, Satan will always keep you away from prayer because no man is perfect in himself.
Our confidence is in Christ- 2 Corinthians 3:4-5 “Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.
This does not mean believers should live carelessly. No. True sonship produces obedience. But our access is not built on self-righteousness. Our access is built on the finished work of Jesus.
The devil fears believers who understand access because he knows prayer becomes powerful when fear disappears.
Jesus: The Door To The Father
Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
Notice He did not say, “No man cometh unto heaven.” He specifically said, “No man cometh unto the Father.”
This means the ultimate goal of salvation is relationship.
There is no access outside Christ. Prayer without Jesus becomes mere religious activity. Jesus is the authorization of heaven.
Think about a highly secured building with coded access doors. No matter how sincere a person is, sincerity alone cannot open the door. There must be authorization.
Jesus is that authorization.
When believers pray in the name of Jesus, it is not a religious slogan. It is a legal reality in the spirit. We approach God not based on our perfection, but based on the victory and righteousness of Christ.
This is why prayer works.
Not because we are worthy in ourselves, but because Jesus made us worthy to stand before the Father.
The Proofs Of True Sonship In Prayer
True sons do not seek God only for things. They seek Him for relationship.
There are people who only call their parents when they need money. The relationship is transactional. Sadly, this is how many believers relate with God. Heaven becomes an emergency hotline instead of a place of fellowship.
I was like that as a young believer. I only prayed when I had requests or bad dreams at night. But everything changed as I got to know more.
But mature believers desire His presence more than His gifts.
Jesus Himself demonstrated this. He would leave the crowds, leave the miracles, leave the applause, and go into lonely places to pray- Luke 6:12 “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. Why? Because prayer was not merely ministry to Him. Prayer was fellowship with the Father.
True sonship produces obedience.
Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, “Not my will, but thine be done.” – Matthew 36:29. Sons trust the Father even when they do not understand the process.
One of the greatest signs of spiritual maturity is when a believer desires God beyond miracles and blessings.
How To Develop True Intimacy With The Father
Relationships do not grow accidentally. Intimacy with God must be cultivated intentionally.
A person who only talks to someone once every few months cannot claim closeness. In the same way, believers cannot neglect fellowship with God and expect deep intimacy.
Prayer must become more than an activity. It must become a lifestyle.
Meditation on Scripture is important because the Word reveals the nature of the Father – Joshua 1:8 (ESV): “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.”
Worship is important because it keeps the heart tender before God – Psalm 29:2 “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.
Obedience is important because intimacy grows through alignment- John 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commands”.
Many believers want spiritual encounters without consistent fellowship. But strong relationships are built through consistency, not occasional emergencies.
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you – James 4:8.
The Father is still seeking men who genuinely desire Him.
Conclusion — The Invitation To Sonship
The greatest miracle in Christianity is not wealth, influence, or open doors. The greatest miracle is that fallen men can now call God “Father.”
What a mystery.
Because of Jesus, you never have to stand outside the gate again. You do not have to pray like a rejected stranger hoping heaven will notice you. Through Christ, you have been invited into relationship.
The power of prayer is not merely in the words you speak. The power of prayer is in the relationship that gives you access.
“Our Father…” That means you are not abandoned.
“Who art in heaven…” – That means He rules above every limitation of the earth.
When men reject you, the Father remains. When systems fail, the Father remains. When doors close, the Father remains.
And because He is your Father, you can come boldly.