Day 4 : Praying by remembering where God lives

"Our Father who art in heaven ..." (Matthew 6: 9).

Just as we must realize, when we pray, that God is our Father, we must also become aware of his position : "in heaven."

This position is often recalled in the Bible : "And he said, O LORD God of our fathers, art thou not God in heaven, and art thou over all the kingdoms of the nations ? (2 Chronicles 20: 6). We can find this in many passages like : Nehemiah 1.5 ; Nehemiah 2.4 ; Nehemiah 2:20 ; Psalms 11: 4 ; Psalms 103.19 ; Psalms 2.4 etc. It should be emphasized that the word "heavens" is plural. The apostle Paul alludes to this plurality when he speaks of a particular experience made by someone : "I know a man in Christ who was fourteen years ago delighted to the third heaven Was in his body I do not know, if it was out of his body I do not know, God knows it "(2 Cor.12: 2).

He mentions a third heaven. If the Bible speaks of a third heaven it is that there is a second and a first. The first heaven is the one accessible to men. It is the visible sky, the one that one can reach with planes, rockets, space probes or that one can observe with telescopes. It is the visible universe, and immense, with its galaxies and billions of stars.

The third heaven is that in which God resides ; Out of time and space. But where is the second heaven, the one halfway between the first and the third ? We find a verse that speaks to us of this heaven : "I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having an eternal gospel, to proclaim it to the inhabitants of the earth, to every nation, to every tribe, Language, and to all people "(Revelation 14: 6).

In Ephesians 6:12, it is said that this second heaven is the place of abode of wicked spirits. Satan is in this heaven, and he seeks to stop the action of God in our favor. We have an example of this in Daniel's book : "He said to me, Daniel, do not be afraid, for from the very first day in which you took heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were The chief of the kingdom of Persia has withstood me for twenty-one days, but behold, Michael, one of the chief chiefs, has come to my aid ; I dwelt there with the kings of Persia" (Daniel 10.11 / 13). In the Book of Revelation we are told that the devil will one day be dislodged from this second heaven (Rev. 12: 9-10).

When you pray, do not forget that even in this second heaven, God reigns ; All legions of demons will not be able to hinder your prayers when you are in the communion of the Father. Certainly the struggle may require perseverance, as for Daniel, but the final victory belongs to God.

My prayer on this day :

Everything is under your control, I trust in you. Amen !

Paul Calzada