READ: LUKE 11:1-13; ROMANS 8:15-17, 26-30

God loves being in close relationship with us. That’s why He invites us to be in communication with Him and enjoy the closeness and unity we have with Him.

The Trinity is the perfect example of unity. God is one, and God is also three persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit (Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14). The Trinity is characterized by love, and from that love God created the whole universe—especially making humans in God’s own image to be in relationship with Him.

While Jesus was living among us on earth, He often spoke with the Father. He would take time to be alone and pray, continuing to lean into His relationship with the Father.

Praying isn’t something that comes naturally to everyone, but the Holy Spirit helps us and Jesus gives us instructions on how to pray, showing us that prayer is relational. When Jesus begins His prayers with the word “Father,” this is a reminder of the close connection they have. As Christians, we also get to address God as Father when we pray because we have been adopted into God’s family by putting our trust in Jesus. We are set to inherit God’s kingdom as His children. God even wants us to call Him “Abba Father” which is a less formal address that shows the closeness of our relationship with Him (Romans 8:15).

This close relationship makes sense when we think about the love God has poured out for us. When Jesus sacrificed His life on the cross, that was an outpouring of love. And that kind of love is a sign of a deep relational connection. God wants a relationship with us and has already made the way for this relationship to be possible through Jesus’s death on the cross and resurrection from the grave. God invites us to know Him, interact with Him, and continue to grow in our relationship with Him throughout our lives. • Naomi Zylstra

• Have you ever thought about prayer being relational? We don’t have to be “good” at it, whatever that means. Prayer is simply drawing near to God, sometimes without even using words. When do you feel close to God? If you’ve never felt close to God, that’s okay. God invites us to ask Him for this, and He delights in answering these prayers.

…you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15 (NLT)