Praying to our Father in heaven
This article by Rodney Kleyn provides an exposition of the opening petition of the Lord's Prayer ("Our Father, which art in heaven") based on Lord's Day 46 of the Heidelberg Catechism, exploring both the theological foundation and practical implications of addressing God as Father in prayer. Kleyn emphasizes how Scripture must inform our understanding of God's fatherhood, particularly for those whose earthly fathers have failed them, and how this doctrine shapes our approach to prayer as an act of worship. The resource serves as instructional material on prayer and Christian devotion grounded in Reformed catechetical tradition.
Lord's Day 46 Question 120. Why hath Christ commanded us to address God thus: "Our Father"? Answer. That immediately, in the very beginning of our prayer, He might excite in us a childlike reverence for, and confidence in God, which are the foundation of our prayer, namely, that God is become our Father in Christ, and will much less deny us what we ask of Him in true faith than our parents will refuse us earthly things. Question 121. Why is it here added, "Which art in heaven"? Answer....
Full article available on sb.rfpa.org