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Welcome A Note from The River Church Thanks for joining us on this six-week journey through the Lord’s Prayer. We hope that this will help you to engage your relationship with our Heavenly Father on a deeper level than ever before. We believe that God wants nothing more than for us to know Him for who He really is: our Father. Prayer can seem intimidating, maybe even mysterious. But when we understand it in its truest sense, conversation with our Father, it begins to shape not just the way we pray, but the way we understand our God. God is most interested in relationship—an open, ongoing relationship that Scripture often describes as “walking with God.” Life is a process of learning to walk with God, learning to relate and communicate with God. How we interact with God is vital for our lives. Thus, when Jesus is teaching his followers to pray, He is showing them how to walk with God. If walking with God truly is what our lives are all about, praying the way Jesus shows us is a major part of our life. The Lord’s Prayer as taught by Jesus contains six elements. When we learn to pray these segments in the right way, we also will be learning to align our lives with God’s will for us. But even more than that, we believe that each of the six elements point us to a bigger picture of who God is. While our focus will partially be on the Lord’s Prayer, we want to expand our understanding of God through each of these elements. Below is a breakdown of those elements The Father’s Character The Father’s Kingdom The Father’s Provision The Father’s Forgiveness The Father’s Guidance The Father’s Protection It is our hope that each of these elements, not only teaches you how to pray, but more so, how great our God is! As always, know that your church family is here for you as you begin this journey! We love you and are so thankful for you! In Him, The River Church Staff and Elders Week 1: The Father’s Character Our Father in Heaven. Jesus begins his prayer with a simple word that embodies an important relational concept: Father. Jesus uses the Aramaic word Abba, an informal name we often translate as Daddy. It’s an intimate name for our intimate God. None of us will dispute that Jesus could legitimately start a conversation with the Almighty with such a familiar term. Yet how often do we fail to remember that in this prayer Jesus is teaching that all believers have the same right of relationship he enjoys? This relationship also transcends physical presence. God was just as much Jesus’ Father during their physical separation—God in heaven and Jesus on earth—and he is just as much our Father now as he will be when we join him in heaven. Hallowed be your name. God is very close and yet he is very different. We offer respect to our Father and our God for he is holy, with no darkness or sin. We pause to acknowledge that he is what we long to be. Our spirits yearn for this God-likeness to be a reality in us so that God’s glory is revealed to others here on earth. This week we hope that you can experience the Father’s Character in a way like never before. Our God, who isn’t just almighty, powerful, and sovereign, but our God who is personal. That God wants to know you and for you to know him. Here are a couple questions to consider this week: • Do I believe that God wants to have a personal relationship with me? • Do I speak to God, not just as a powerful God, but as my Father? • What aspect of my life do I need to invite my Heavenly Father into? Each day you will encounter a SOAP study. We believe this is a very practical way to study the Bible. Below is an explanation of how to use your SOAP Study each day. S – Scripture - Read the passage of Scripture for todays journey O – Observation - Observe what is happening in this passage? A – Application - How does this Scripture apply to your life? P – Prayer – Write out a prayer to the Lord about His Character Day 1: The Father’s Character S – Take some time to read Matthew 6:5-9. Read through it 2 or 3 times to really allow the words to take root in your mind. O – Jesus wants his followers to pray. He wants his followers to know how to pray. One of the first principles that Jesus’ wanted his disciples to know was that prayer is about our Father’s Character. We are praying to the supreme being of the entire universe and yet He is our Father, or more accurately, our Dad. He is entirely different, yet very close. When we pray we acknowledge His Character. A – How does this passage apply to your life? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ P – Write out a prayer to the Lord _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Day 2: The Father’s Character S – Take some time to read Isaiah 40:28. Maybe check out a few different translations of this verse. O – It is incredibly empowering to know that we serve the everlasting God. Our Father is the Creator of the all the earth. It is comforting to know that when we pray we are communicating with the One who created DNA, stars, light, fish, and bald eagles. He is supreme and yet He is our Father. Relish who you are speaking to when you pray today. A – How does this passage apply to your life? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ P – Write out a prayer to the Lord _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Day 3: The Father’s Character S – Take some time to read Jeremiah 51:19. Read this verse out loud to help you remember it better. O – Our Father is not just another god. He is not a god among all the gods of the world. He is the only true God. He is the Creator of everything that exists. This is to be celebrated and worshipped. When we pray we call out the Character of our Father as the One who created all things and who knows each of us by name, down to the smallest details of our lives. He is an awesome Dad. A – How does this passage apply to your life? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ P – Write out a prayer to the Lord _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Day 4: The Father’s Character S – Take some time to read Psalm 68:3-6. This would have been recorded as a song. Allow these words to be a form of worship for you today. O – The author of this Psalm makes a powerful statement when he says, “Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—this is God, whose dwelling is holy.” It reminds us that our God is a good, good Father. He does all the things that a perfect Father would do for His kids. But we are also reminded that He is different from our earthly fathers, because His dwelling is holy. How mighty is our God, the King of Kings and yet OUR Father. A – How does this passage apply to your life? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________