Praying To Our Father In Parallel Universes

A couple years ago I heard a lecture at Texas A&M U. by Dr. Hugh Ross. He was talking about the relationship between the Bible and science on the topic of creation. During his talk he said that Christians have long believed in some kind of a parallel universe. Its called heaven. I like his comment. It fits in with the very popular discussion in science—and science fiction—about parallel or multiple universes. I've touched on the topic frequently in earlier blogs:

• Heaven and parallel universes
• What and where is heaven?
• Where shall we live? 
• After death, paradise
• Glory to God in the highest (angels from heaven)

In the Matthew version of the prayer our Lord taught us, we read:

Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. - Mat 6:9 ESV

Why does our Lord wants us to pray to our Father in heaven. Does heaven also include the possibility of multi-verses or multiple universes? That question is not addressed directly in God's self-revelation other than in a mysterious manner like this:

Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. - Deu 10:14 ESV

"You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you. - Neh 9:6 ESV

The Lord's prayer in the original actually says "our Father who is in the heavens (plural). The point made is that our Father is in it all, whether there is one or an infinite number of heavens. And yet He is beyond and outside it all, as Solomon acknowledged when he built his majestic temple.

But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him? - 2Ch 2:6 ESV

Scientific studies during the past century have radically broadened our concepts of the universe or universes. So much, so very, very much remains unknown. We have only to read books like The Hidden Reality—Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos by Brian Greene to realize how little we know and how vast creation may be.

And yet . . . Jesus teaches us that this great and eternal Father is our Father and we may approach Him as little children approach their Daddy's, their Papas. This is how Jesus prayed during his final hours in the Garden of Gethsemane as he used the familiar Aramaic word for Daddy.

And he said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." - Mar 14:36 ESV

And because of Jesus' victory over sin and death we too may now pray to our Father in this most personal and familiar manner, as the Apostle teaches,

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" - Rom 8:15 ESV

And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" - Gal 4:6 ESV

We may indeed be fascinated by the things physicists are opening up for us. There are some cautions as we place their speculations against God's revelation in Holy Scripture, but the descriptions of what there may be remain humbling and mind boggling. This is one of the reasons I remain an avid fan of some science fiction.

And yet there is great comfort in knowing that we may come to this Father, our Father in Christ Jesus, for we are His children. And He listens to and always answers our prayers in the best possible manner. So Jesus teaches,

And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. - Luk 11:9-10 ESV