Devotionals

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"And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth." (Luke 11:2 KJV)

I have previously written about the first two words in this template prayer, "Our Father". However, I think the words that begin the next phrase may be equally important, "Hallowed be thy name". Why hallowed? Like "set aside"? Perhaps like he "hallowed" or "set aside" the sabbath (see Exodus 20:11)? Why is His name separate? Because it is holy and great! What do we mean by holy and great? Is it great because we lift it up or is it inherently great and it reveals it's greatness as He works? As we bring our cares and concerns to Him, is it more important for Him to know the details of our worries or for us to understand His distinctly sufficient nature? He definitely wants to know our every concern. Do we enter that conversation understanding why His name is set aside?

One may comment that all His names are set aside and have great meaning. I agree. A study in the names of God is an incredibly rich study. Yet whether His name is "Father", or any of the many others, they are distinct. They lift us up. They fill us. They tell us of His greatness. Our passion to fix things and resolve situations cannot compare with what His name is. Not simply because He is great enough to resolve our every issue (which He is), but in knowing that His name is hallowed we can see our issues for what they really are.

We cannot help but to be held guilty when using His name in vain (see Exodus 20:7 and Deuteronomy 5:11). Not merely using any of His names out of context, but in giving His name no value. Having no faith or trust in the greatness and holiness of His name. Having no recognition for His name when we enter that conversation. It is only by His grace that we come to see just how great His name is. As we begin to see how His name is Hallowed, we can really see how His kingdom is to come and the avenues by which His will will be done.

"Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness." (Psalm 48:1 KJV)

Original article

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