God's goodness is the basis for our prayers

God is good. That is one of the most basic messages of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.

When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, we remember the words of that prayer and we pray them. But first Jesus made sure his disciples understood why he taught us such a bold but simple prayer:

"Your heavenly Father knows what you need before you ask him" (Matthew 6:8).

Jesus taught us to call God "Father" when we pray, so that every time we pray our first thought is that our heavenly father knows what we need before we ask him.

"If you, even though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him?" (Matthew 7:11)

To connect the dots: if even evil people can give good things to their children, then how much more will God, who is good, give good things to his children.

Jesus teaches us to have this mind when we pray: That God is good.

"This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven ...'".