“And when you pray,

Jesus prayed, he impressed his disciples with his prayer to the point that they asked him to teach them to pray. This passage is the longest and most complete teaching on prayer in Matthew. The last section of this teaching has been loved and recited ever since as the “Lord’s Prayer”. I am hoping to spend a few weeks looking at this familiar prayer to see if there are things that through repetition and over-familiarity I have overlooked.

In this passage Jesus begins with negative examples of prayer. Whether it is the self-righteous and self-serving prayers of the religious or the repetitive and hopeless prayers of the Gentiles. Jesus commands his disciples to refuse to follow their lead. Zeal and effort can not compensate for unbelief. Jesus wanted them to know first of all that they have a Father that knows them and knows their needs even before they ask.

Pray then like this…

So Jesus gives his disciples this blueprint for prayer. It is a list of thoughts to include in their prayers. It is shockingly short. It excludes many of the things we spend a lot of time on, and it includes some things we almost certainly do not think about enough. It seems that Jesus always seems to respond just a bit differently than we expect. So let’s look at the first thought Jesus gives us in this prayer.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Our Father - this description of God is very powerful. If we have been raised in a Christian world we may not be as jarred by this address as we should be. God is our Father we have been adopted into the family of God with all the privileges that includes. He cares for us - as a father, we have complete access to Him just as children have access to their father. This opening phrase immediately closes the gap between us and God. The first thing Jesus wants us to remember is who we are talking to, we are talking to our Father.

In heaven - not only is God our Father but He is our Father in heaven. Our Father transcends this earth, he is not bound by the limitations that we face every day. We are created in His image, but He is not like us in many important ways. He is above us, all of creation together does not equal Him. He is not part of creation, He is the creator. All of creation could cease but our Father would remain.

Hallowed be your name - When I was younger this statement seemed almost redundant. Like praying that water would be wet. But then I lost my childish simplicity and began to see the world more clearly for what it is. A world lost in selfish rebellion that fuels actual contempt for its creator and sustainer. A world that by and large would rather listen to the lies of demons, than the invitation of God who lovingly endures the madness of evil to offer salvation to all who would come to Him for help.

What are we really being told to ask for in this petition?

As I think about this first petition I have to ask, “what am I really asking God for?”. If we are petitioning God for His name to be hallowed, what does the answer to that prayer look like? There are a couple of answers that come to mind as I think about this.

* The first thing I think of is that the answer is in the next petition. “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” But I would prefer to look at this petition in the next article.

* The most immediate answer to this petition is a change in attitude for me. Are my words and actions properly reflecting the glory and holiness of God? Does my life bring Him glory and contribute to the sense of His holiness? Does my life reflect a reverence for this holiness? Do I hallow His name?

What does it mean to “hallow His name”?

The word translated “hallow” in Greek means to make holy or to sanctify. But these words are no more clear than hallow to most people. To make holy or sanctify contains the idea of something set apart for only one use. Something separate and special, the opposite of common. So God’s name is to be held as something separate, special, it is to be have no common use, nor are unworthy things to be associated with this holy name.

But even the word “name” needs to be thought about just a bit more. By God’s name the bible does not mean simply that word that is associated with God or even the word God. My name is Tom but to dishonor my name does not mean simply to make fun of the name Tom. It has to do with things that devalue and degrade who I am as a person. And it has to do with spreading this dishonor to others.

Conversely to hallow God’s name is to do and say things that increase the value of God’s person in the eyes of others. To bring about an increased appreciation of God’s honor and absolute uniqueness, His beauty and incomprehensible grace, His perfection and authority. To speak in common or vulgar terms about God is the opposite of hallowing His name. To behave in ways that bring dishonor to God is perhaps even more damaging to God’s name than using His name in a common or vulgar way.

So, this week, my goal is to is live more deliberately. To do and say things that actively increase God’s honor both personally and in my interactions with others. To live and speak as an act of worship to the God whose name is holy and almighty. To honor the creator by showing love to those He has created and lovingly redeemed from their own rebellion.

Have a great week!