Posted on 03/15/2020 7:48:33 PM PDT by metmom
"Hallowed be Thy name" (Matt. 6:9).
Prayer should always exalt God.
The Disciples' Prayer illustrates the priority that God should hold in our prayers. Jesus began by exalting the Father: "Hallowed be Thy name" (v. 9), then requested that the Father's kingdom come and His will be done (v. 10). He concluded with an anthem of praise: "For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen" (v. 13). His prayer literally begins and ends with God.
"Hallowed be Thy name" exalts the name of the Lord and sets a tone of worship and submission that is sustained throughout the prayer. Where God's name is hallowed, He will be loved and revered, His kingdom eagerly anticipated, and His will obeyed.
"Thy name" speaks of more than a title such as "God," "Lord," or "Jehovah." It speaks of God Himself and is the composite of all His attributes. The Hebrews considered God's name so sacred they wouldn't even speak it, but they missed the point. While meticulously guarding the letters of His name, they slandered His character and disobeyed His Word. Because of them the name of God was blasphemed among the Gentiles (Rom. 2:24).
Psalm 102:15 says, "The nations will fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth Thy glory." It's not the letters of God's name that the nations fear; it's the embodiment of all He is. As Jesus prayed, "I manifested Thy name to the men whom Thou gavest Me" (John 17:6). He did that by revealing who God is. John 1:14 says, "The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." Jesus told Philip, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). Jesus is the manifestation of all who God is.
Manifesting the priority of God in your prayers involves acknowledging who He is and approaching Him with a reverent, humble spirit that is yielded to His will. As you do that, He will hallow His name through you.
Suggestions for Prayer
Praise God for His holiness. Ask Him to use you today to demonstrate His holiness to others.
For Further Study
Read Numbers 20. How did Moses show irreverence for God's name?
Studying God’s Word ping
Thank you
Very timely, is it not?
A great subject. I have had a couple of studies of The Lord’s Prayer in the last few years. Always good to reflect on this again.
Church was cancelled today. I am wondering if Wednesday night Bible Study will still be OK because it is a small group. Pastor will text us all by Wednesday morning probably.
have a good night
The phrase “Thy will be done” is so hard a statement, when one has lost everything...
On the other hand, all one even can really do, in the midst of the pain, is lift up one’s eyes to God, and call out for His mercy and grace, and intervention.
It is similar to Jobs statement “The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away”, then “blessed be the name of the Lord”.
AMEN!!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.