Having treated the first two words of the prayer in the previous posts, we come to the clause, “which art in heaven.” The previous two words convey our personal relationship with God; the first word, “our”, teaches us that God is indeed our God and we are his people; the second word, “father”, teaches us our position before him through our union with Christ as beloved children. This final post on the preface to the prayer addresses the nature of God in and of himself.
God is both immanent and transcendent. He is near to us and yet he is infinitely beyond us. It is difficult to strike a balance between these two truths which appear to contradict one another. God is near to and present with his creation, but he is utterly distinct from it. He is near and present yet exalted and other. These twin truths must be held in harmony. In praying to God who is “in heaven” we acknowledge the distinction between him and ourselves. He is in heaven and we are on earth. He is near to us as “our Father” yet exalted high above us as one who dwells elsewhere in heavenly places.
The Psalmist captures the meaning of these words when he writes:
Our God is in the heavens,
he does all that he pleases
Psalm 115:3
What we see here is a connection to the locus of our God “in heaven” and his majestic power and sovereignty over all things. Everything we know about heaven inspires awe and conveys majesty. In Isaiah 6 we see that heaven is a place where God is worshipped. There, his holiness is as bright as to inspire dread. Our dear Savior teaches us here that we must acknowledge the majesty of God in our prayers. Both his works and being are glorious. The Westminster Confession of Faith uses scriptural language and truth to convey the majesty of God’s divine attributes and redemptive works.
There is but one only living and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions, immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, most wise, most holy, most free, most absolute, working all things according to the counsel of his own immutable and most righteous will, for his own glory; most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; the rewarder of them that diligently seek him; and withal most just and terrible in his judgments; hating all sin, and who will by no means clear the guilty.
Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 2, Article 1
Indeed, the above declares with gusto that our God is enthroned in his majestic heaven. This is the stuff of our prayer life which fits under the clause “which art in heaven.” Our prayers are an essential part of worship. In them we exalt God. We remember that he is most holy and highly exalted. Our prayers are often lacking this area. As David Wells puts it, God is resting too lightly upon the church. We are quick to call upon him as our Father, (and rightly so!) but slower to acknowledge his divine attributes and position over us. This is to our detriment as the Heidelberg Catechism marries the majesty of God to our own comfort and welfare:
…he is able to do it, being Almighty God, and willing, being a faithful Father.
Heidelberg Catechism Question 26
When we pray acknowledging God is both our Father and Almighty God, we cannot help but be powerfully motivated to pour out our hearts to him in sincere trust and devotion. This is the intent of Christ, that our prayers may be used by God’s Spirit to move mountains of our unbelief, sin, idolatry, and lift our heads to direct our gaze to him who is Almighty.
