Reflections on God: Who Art In Heaven

Jesus explained, in His prayer, what lies at the heart of the eternal life that He blesses His people with.

This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God… John 17:3

The point of the Gospel is to know God. But getting to know Him is not something that is completed in one quick and easy step. It is a process that starts now and will continue into eternity. So, on Fridays, I'd like to write about God in the hope of helping you to grow in your understanding of who He is and thus being able to grow in your enjoyment of eternal life.

Let's start by taking a look at the first line of the Lord's Prayer.

Our Father who art in heaven.

There is much to be gained by meditating on the name that Jesus invites us to use in this prayer, Father. And I'll get to that in a future installment. But what I'd like to do today is take a look at what is so easily passed by. I want to take a look at the phrase, 'who art in heaven'.

Why is this phrase here? (That's always a good question to ask when meditating on some Scripture.) Why, in this prayer, are we to refer to God as the one who is in heaven? It's clear that Jesus had a reason for including it, and it wasn't just to identify where God lives. Actually, it's about what's going on in heaven.

Consider John's experience when he was given a sneak peek into heaven.

After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. Revelation 4:1–2

It is important to note that God is not referred to by any name - Father, Lord, King or anything else. He simply is, 'one seated on the throne'. Why did John write it down in that way? He could have written it differently. What's that phrase about?

John then tells us more of what he saw.

And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Revelation 4:3

John, here, is describing the beauty of God.

And then, there's this.

From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder… Revelation 4:5

So, what's this all about? Well, put yourself into the situation. You are standing before the One who rules all creation. He is clothed in precious gems and framed by a stunning rainbow. And as you stand there, astounded by what you are seeing, lightning flashes from His throne, along with the shattering sounds of thunder.

What is this place?

It's heaven. Or, at least, it's John's first glance of heaven. And it explains why Jesus teaches us to pray, 'who art in heaven'. That simple and easily passed over phrase is about the majesty of God. The beauty of God's majesty draws us to Him. But the explosive flashes of that majesty make us afraid to get too close.

It is this majesty of God that needs to be rediscovered in our day.

It is as we grow in our sense of the majesty of God, this God to whom we are invited to pray, that we will then participate more fully in some of the other things that John saw in his vision of heaven.

And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” Revelation 4:8-11

What was John witnessing? It was thoughtful, heartfelt, soul-stirring worship. And worship like this is the only reasonable response to the striking majesty of God. And this thoughtful, heartfelt, soul-stirring worship is something that we are to join in with. But that won't happen unless there is an inner sense of the majesty of God. It is as that sense grows that thoughtful, heartfelt and soul-stirring worship will also grow.

I think that we have some work to do. And that work starts, as such work always does, with prayer. We are to pray that God, by His grace, would cause us to grow in our sense of His majesty. We don't pray for that just so that we can experience the feelings that John did. We ask for that so that we can do better at worshiping the God who sits on the throne.