Pray: Father (Phil Chapman)

In this opening message of the Pray series, Phil Chapman begins exploring the Lord’s Prayer by focusing on its first words: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name” (Matthew 6:9, Luke 11:2). He explains that when Jesus taught His disciples to address God as “Father” — using the intimate Aramaic word Abba — it was a radical invitation into the same close relationship He Himself enjoys with the Father. Through the Holy Spirit, believers are assured of their adoption into God’s family (Galatians 4:6–7), able to approach Him with both intimacy and reverence. Praying “hallowed be Your name” is a declaration of God’s holiness and a pledge to honour His name in our own lives. Phil reminds us that this opening line of the prayer reorients us; putting us in our place as God’s children, putting Him in His rightful place as holy above all, and setting the tone for worship before bringing our requests.