Approaching God as Abba: Rediscovering Prayer Beyond Performance and Control (Sermon on the Mount Series)

Voxology

Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 23 November 2020

⏱️ 70 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

How reframing prayer as a relationship between a child and a parent opens the door to deeper faith, vulnerability, and trust. In this powerful installment of the Exile Series, Mike and Tim explore Jesus' teachings from Matthew 6 and 7 and how his use of the word "Father" (Abba) radically redefines what it means to talk with God in a world driven by performance, control, and religious cliches.

They unpack the difference between performative and formulaic prayers versus the genuine, raw posture Jesus invites us into—a relationship rooted in trust, not fear or manipulation. Through personal stories (including shirtless podcasting), cultural context, and lived wrestling with unanswered prayer, this episode helps listeners reconsider what it means to ask, seek, knock—and be heard.

Key Takeaways: • The Dangers of Performative and Voodoo Prayer – Why Jesus critiques religious prayer done to impress and anxious prayer done to manipulate outcomes. • God as Abba, Not a Cosmic Vending Machine – How understanding God as a parent reshapes how we pray and process silence, disappointment, and hope. • Why Ask if God Already Knows? – Exploring the mystery of petition and the role of partnership with God in shaping both our hearts and the world. • Trust, Surrender, and the Struggle for Control – How prayer mirrors our desire to control God and how Jesus invites us to trust instead. • Letting Go of Christian Cliches – Honest reflections on the harm of transactional thinking in churches and the need to reclaim prayer as relationship, not outcome.

Resources Mentioned: • Matthew 6:5–8 – Jesus' teaching on prayer from the Sermon on the Mount • Matthew 7:7–12 – Ask, seek, knock—and the image of God as a good parent • Dallas Willard – "The Divine Conspiracy" (Chapter on the power of asking) • Greg Boyd, Tim Mackie, N.T. Wright – Theological insights discussed throughout the episode • Genesis & the Abraham/Isaac Narrative – Connection to father-son dynamics in Jewish tradition • "Dude Perfect," rage monsters, and booby-trapped trucks – Kids, prayer, and the chaos of everyday life

Whether you're struggling with prayer, feeling let down by unanswered cries, or tired of sentimental church answers, this episode offers honesty, wisdom, and hope. Join us to rediscover why Jesus invited us to call God not just Father—but Abba.

Don't miss the next episode as we dive into the Lord's Prayer and explore its revolutionary structure and intent.

Subscribe to keep up with this journey through Exile and beyond! Leave a review, share with a friend, and follow us online to stay part of the conversation.

As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.

We're on YouTube (if you're into that kinda thing): VOXOLOGY TV

Our Merch Store! ETSY

Learn more about the Voxology Podcast

Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify

Support the Voxology Podcast on Patreon

The Voxology Spotify channel can be found here: Voxology Radio

Follow Mike on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikeerre

Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford Instagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy

As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.

We're on YouTube (if you're into that kinda thing): VOXOLOGY TV.

Our Merch Store! ETSY

Learn more about the Voxology Podcast

Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify

Support the Voxology Podcast on Patreon

The Voxology Spotify channel can be found here: Voxology Radio

Follow Mike on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikeerre

Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford

Instagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Ladies and gentlemen, live from the Purple County, the highest warning tier that Ohio's system has for COVID-19 infections.
0:27.9	Here comes the Vox podcast from the center of COVID, Ohio, Columbus.
0:34.3	Tim, what color is your county? Do you guys have the color-coded system, too?
0:37.5	We do. And we were also just upgraded to purple. California, I think all of California is
0:44.2	flailing around right now. We're all purple. Yeah, I don't, yeah, I don't think it's just
0:49.1	California in this instance. Um, so, so. Everything's always just about California. I thought you knew that.
0:55.4	Yes.
0:56.3	Well, certainly.
0:57.8	And I'd love a Thanksgiving vacation to California where you can host many people.
1:03.3	It would be glorious.
1:05.0	A couple of things.
1:06.5	There are a couple of things happening, Tim.
1:07.9	We have COVID going bananas, almost 200,000 infections
1:14.3	yesterday, and getting close to 2,000 deaths a day, which is tragic and horrific. We've got
1:22.9	all sorts of interesting legal happenings going on around the election.
1:29.5	And our favorite mayor, Rudy Giuliani, had a very interesting press conference yesterday
1:36.2	where it looked like it was hair dye rolling down his face.
1:40.5	Now, as a man who sweats, there are some mistakes you just don't make.
1:44.6	And one of them is makeup and one of them is hair dye.
1:48.2	National television.
1:49.8	You just, you don't ever want to do that.
1:52.9	So, um, uh, so that's happening.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Voxology, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Voxology and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.