A Study of the Lord’s Prayer
Lesson # 2
“Hallowed Be Thy Name”
In our opening study we noted that the Lord’s Prayer is a pattern for all true prayer. We began our examination of the Lord’s Prayer by looking at the first six English words, “Our Father who art in Heaven.” That is not that we would merely say the words, but that we believe that he is our Father and we would relate to Him as a Father. One can not really pray the Lord’s Prayer without first establishing a relationship through faith in Jesus Christ and being born into the family of God.
When we begin our prayer, “Our Father,” we begin to pray in based on an intimate relationship with God – that of a father and child. God is not an angry judge looking for an opportunity to condemn us, nor is aloof and distant, too busy to hear you. He is our Father and can be approached on an intimate basis.
Having the foundational awareness of God as our Father we move on to the first of the petitions, “hallowed be thy name.” When you pray “hallowed be thy name,” you climb to a new level of respect for God and reverence for his person. You are ascending to the very heart of God to recognize who His and what He has done for us.
What does it mean to “hallow” His name? The word “hallow” is the Greek word hagios which is the word for holy, “Hallow” means “to set apart as holy, to consider holy , to treat as holy.” The best modern word perhaps is reverence. When you pray “hallowed be your name” you are saying, “let your name be holy and reverence on earth as it already is in heaven. May your name be given the unique reverence that is due your character and nature as the Heavenly Father.”
When you begin your prayers “Hallowed be thy name,” you are not rushing into the presence of God to demand something, you come into his presence recognizing who God is and what He can do for you.
The name of God is always an expression of His character. The Psalmist said (20:7) “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember (boast ) the name (character) of the LORD our God”. (NKJV)
I. WE HALLOW HIS NAME IN OUR REVERENCE
When we understand that God’s names reveal who God desires to be in relation to us, then we realize that His names invite us to know Him.
Romans 1:20
“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead,….” (NKJV)
Psalm 19:1
“The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork”. (NKJV)
We can reverence God and worship him by Praying Through the Names of God. Each of the names of God reveals some aspect of his character.
Elohim – the mighty Creator (Gen 1:1)
Adonai – master or Lord ( Gen 15 – Abraham)
El Shaddai – Almighty (Gen 17 – Abraham)
El-Elyon- Most High (Gen 14 – Abraham)
El Roi - The Strong one that Sees (Gen 16 – Hagar)
El Olam - Everlasting God (Gen 21:22-33)
Jehovah – self-existent one (Exodus 3: 14-15 – Moses)
Jehovah Jireh – the Lord our Provider (Gen 22)
Jehovah M’kaddesh – the God who Sanctifies(Lev 20:1-8)
Jehovah Nissi – the Lord our Banner (Exodus 17:8-16)
Jehovah Rohi – the Lord my Shepherd (Psalm 23)
Jehovah Rophe –the God who Heals (Exodus 15:22-26)
Jehovah Shalom – the Lord of our Peace (Jud. 6:11-24)
Jehovah Shammah – the Lord is Here (Ezekiel 48:30-35)
Jehovah Tsidkenu – the Lord our Righteousness (Jer. 23:5-6)
When we pray we should acknowledge God’s names in reference to our needs. The name of God is supremely and fully revealed in Jesus Christ. Jesus said in his intercessory prayer for his disciples said, “I have manifested thy name.” (John 17:6). In other words, Jesus said, “ I have revealed your character and hallowed your name in the life that I have lived.”
II. WE HALLOW GOD’S NAME IN OUR RELATIONSHIP
When Jesus taught us to pray “hallowed be thy name,” He was telling us to make the presence of God real in our hearts. When you pray “hallowed be thy name,” you are placing God on the throne of your heart. It is about putting God on the throne of our lives on earth, as He sits upon His throne in heaven.
His name is hallowed in our relationship when in praying “hallowed be thy name” we mean that first and foremost we desire our life to reveal to others to the name of Jesus and the character or God. When we are supremely concerned that every detail of our lives should be for His glory.
Whatever service you or I may undertake our first thought should be, “Is this for His glory?” This thought should be in my thoughts when I choose the books I will read or the movies I will watch. This phrase applies to the friends I make and how I treat them. It will be the chief concern in all habits I form and all the ambitions that I cherish. This will be my supreme object in every pleasure I seek. This will be my attitude concerning every sorrow and trial I face.
III. WE HALLOW HIS NAME BY OUR REFLECTION
Paul once warned the church at Rome, “…. the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,…” (Romans 2:24).
It is a solemn thought to realize that failure on our part to hallow the name of the Lord has disastrous consequences, in causing the name of that name to be blasphemed by the world. When we pray each day “Hallowed be thy name,’ we are saying, “Father your reputation is at stake in me today. May I live in such a way as to be a credit to your person. My others see your character through my behavior and honor your name because of what they see of you in me.”
Conclusion
Five Essentials About Honoring God’s Name
1. God has a Name
2. God’s name is Holy
3. God wants us to praise Him
4. I can praise God’s name in the Lord’s Prayer
5. God will not force anyone to praise His name.
Elmer Towns. Praying Through the Lord’s Prayer
(Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1997)
“Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Amen”
