…In Heaven (first section of four)

“This, then, is how you should pray,

Our Father in heaven….”

~ Jesus (Matthew 6:9, NIV)

Jesus taught we should pray to our Father who is “…in heaven.” How can we pray to or have a relationship with God, as our Father, when He is in heaven? What is heaven? Where is heaven? And how does our Father, being God and in heaven, relate with us here on earth?

Though this chapter may take some unexpected twists and turns, I hope by the end of it, you will understand more about how our Father—who is in heaven—reveals Himself and communicates with the souls He has created. By this, I hope you will be more drawn to Him than ever.

HEAVEN—A SPIRITUAL DIMENSION

Most of us understand “…in heaven,” to mean that our Father dwells in an alternate, non-material, ‘spiritual’ realm. A sphere somehow distinct from—yet parallel to—the time, space, and matter continuum we currently inhabit. Jesus also taught: “God is Spirit…” (John 4:24, NIV). Since we generally see ourselves as material beings, how then can we understand anything about “our Father,” a Spirit Being, “who is in heaven”?

But wait. Let’s revisit this. Are we solely material beings? Could the way we’re created by God make a difference in how the Lord reveals Himself and relates to us? Might either revisiting the truth or understanding ourselves more correctly affect the dynamic between God and us?

Throughout the entire discourse God has with us through the Bible narrative, the Lord appeals to the following aspects of our being: 1) the logical, rational, reasoning mind that forms our beliefs and perspectives;[1] 2) the moral heart that distinguishes between good and evil, feels and harbors emotions, and empathizes or relates with others;[2] and 3) the driving force or will that makes choices, determines, commits, and empowers our efforts.[3] Integrated, these seem to comprise the essence of what has traditionally been called the spirit or soul of a normal human being. A soul that is housed in a physical body with needs and desires of its own that are a part of us and yet somehow separate—and unlike the animals and creatures surrounding us.[4]

Simultaneously, God has not created the soul to dwell alone.[5] On earth, we are each born into a family, a tribe, a community, a nation, the world. But these earthly relational representations are, at best, only shadows of what is in store for us. The good aspects of relationships will be gloriously, wondrously amplified beyond human imagination, in heaven, through Jesus with God as our Father—if we are willing, and do not resist the Lord’s Spirit.

Even when most Christians know that we aren’t just material beings and that we have a real hope in the promise of heaven, we tend to forget the ‘unseen.’ We fail to remember who God is, that we are souls, and God’s good plans for us. We tend to focus our spiritual eyes on our material world and circumstances.

This is why the Lord has given and continues to send reminders. Though our Father is in a spiritual realm, He continually communicates with souls on earth. But how? There are at least eight ways He interacts with us. They tie in with the Lord’s Prayer and Beatitudes. This is only a very brief look. We’ll go into these eight ways in a lot more depth in the following chapters.

1.) Everything in creation with its natural laws and patterns is one means through which our Father discloses both His existence and glorious aspects of Himself—and we are part of the wonders He has created. The Apostle Paul tells us that “since the creation of the world [God’s] invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead….” (Romans 1:20, NKJV).

2.) God’s mere existence also gives us a spiritual sense of what is good or evil.[6] This spiritual sense is most often called the conscience. Every normal human being has one. Concerning those who do not know God or have access to the Law of God, Paul observed that they still: “by nature do the things in the law,” and “these, although not having the law,…show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them” (Romans 2:14–15, NKJV).

3.) Consequences are yet another means through which God sometimes conveys very strong messages without ever forcing us to do things His way. Choice—to either turn toward or away from God—began in the Garden of Eden. Though we always have this option, we don’t get to choose the consequences. In all circumstances, as long as we’re alive, we get to see and experience the repercussions of godly or godless choices. While ministering on earth, Jesus encouraged those who did not yet believe in Him with these words: “Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own” (John 7:17, NIV).

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[1] See Genesis 6:5; 8:21; Leviticus 5:4; Deuteronomy 15:9; 30:1–3; 1 Chronicles 28:9; 29:18; Psalm 10:4; 56:5; 94:11; 119:59; 139:2; Proverbs 16:3; Ecclesiastes 10:20; Isaiah 55:7–9; 65:2; 66:18; Jeremiah 6:19; Daniel 2:29–30; Amos 4:13; Matthew 9:4; Luke 2:34–35; Romans 1:20–21; 1 Corinthians 3:20; 2 Corinthians 10:5; Philippians 4:6–8; Hebrews 4:12; James 1:21–27; 2:4.

[2] See Genesis 6:5; 8:21; Deuteronomy 4:28; 30:1–3, 9–10; Proverbs 4:23; Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 12:34–35; 15:18–19; Luke 6:45.

[3] See Deuteronomy 30:11–20; Joshua 24:15; 2 Chronicles 15:4; Nehemiah 1:19; Job 34:4; Prov. 1:29; 3:31; 12:26; Isaiah 7:15–16; 41:24; 56:1–8; Hebrew 10:26–27.

[4] See Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20; 5:16, 24; Ephesians 2:1–3; James 1:12–15.

[5] See Genesis 2:18.

[6] Read or listen to C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity for a thoughtful, as well as enjoyable, treatise on the human consciousness of good and evil.