Answer: Since Jesus and “Our Father” are both part of the Trinity, I don’t think it matters if you start your prayer as “Our Father” or “Dear Jesus.” For that matter, don’t forget the Holy Spirit who “prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words” according to Romans 8:26 NLT.There’s something more important than using the right form of addressing God. It’s more important that you actually pray! I’m amazed at how little I pray when you consider that the God of the universe has given me direct access to him. Why don’t I tap into this more, not only for power to live for Him and to also confess where I mess up, but just to be in touch. I use my cell phone all the time, but my connection with God doesn’t even have “bad cells” where the connection can be cut off.
An extreme example of NOT addressing God with the correct language is the case of the demoniac. This demon-possessed man took the correct posture of falling down before him, but his words hardly followed the “Our Father” or “Dear Jesus” examples you mentioned. Notice what the demoniac said in Mark 5:7 (NLT), “He gave a terrible scream, shrieking, ‘Why are you bothering me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? For God’s sake, don’t torture me!’”
And Jesus went ahead and cleansed the man, driving the demons right out of him. That’s why I believe that getting the words right isn’t as important as getting some words out!
The few verses before “The Lord’s Prayer” indicate the contrast of praying to God the way Jesus taught and what people were doing at the time. “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered only by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them.” Matthew 6:7-8a (NLT)
It’s not a matter of saying it “just right” or of saying it a million times (hoping that one of these times God might hear us). Just say it!
The fact that Jesus started the prayer with “Our Father” reveals that Almighty God, the one that creates and destroys, the one that heavenly beings bend the knee to, the starting and ending point, the source of light and life, etc., etc., etc., is our dad! That’s right, we start our prayers with the identifying mark that this is all being done “in house.” God is OUR FATHER!!!
I’m not going to go into the whole “I-have-a-distorted-image-of-God-because-my-own-father-was-a-bad-father” thing. If you’ve had a bad dad, then you know that a good dad is the opposite of that, okay? If God were a bad dad, you and I wouldn’t even be around. So let your negative images go, and pray to God as your father. Go ahead and adapt it to “My Father” instead of even “Our Father.”
Here’s how The Message paraphrases Romans 8:15-17, “This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?’ God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!”
By the way, the rest of “The Lord’s Prayer” (after the “Our Father”) deals with the basics regarding God, us, others, and living on this planet. Check it out for yourself in Matthew 6:9-13.
As far as the relationship between “Our Father” and “Dear Jesus” is concerned, read John 14:1-26. You’ll find that the disciples didn’t understand that relating to one is like relating to the other. Plus, they found out that God would be with them in the form of the Holy Spirit (also referred to as Counselor and Comforter and Teacher and Reminder).
The reality for you and me is that “Our Father” and “Dear Jesus” are both in heaven for us, while the Holy Spirit is on this earth and in our hearts! No wonder Paul could say, “With God on our side like this, how can we lose?” (Check out Romans 8:31-39 for a full version.)
No matter how you address Him, tap into communication with God!
