Matthew 6:9-13
In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Key verse:
Matthew 6:9b
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
The first portion of this prayer (Hallowed be Your name) is widely misunderstood today. A proper understanding of this phrase is foundational when it comes to praying this prayer. Many people think that the phrase "hallowed be Your name" is merely a definitive statement. When we look into the Greek language, from which this portion of scripture was translated, we find that "hallowed be Your name" is actually a request.
The words "hallowed be" are translated from the Greek verb Hagiazo. Hagiazo is an action word meaning: to make holy, to set apart, to consecrate, or to sanctify. So, when we pray "hallowed be Your name," we should actually be praying that God would make His name holy. We should be praying that God would set His name apart.
When looking at the opening portion of the Lord's prayer, a more understandable translation would be: "Our Father in heaven, make Your name holy."
So, what does all this mean in relation to the rest of the prayer? I believe that each item in the Lord's prayer must be requested out of a desire to see God glorified. This seems to be confirmed in the closing portion of the prayer: "For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
The closing portion seems to imply that everything prior to it is requested for the sake of God's kingdom, God's power, and God's glory. When we ask God to daily provide us with bread, we must be requesting this need in order that we might see God glorified.
Our Father in heaven, make Your name holy.
Do our lives reflect a desire to see the name of God made holy? Do our lives set apart God's name in order that it might be glorified? God, in and of Himself, is already holy. His name is holy. But have we lived our lives in such a way as to reflect the holiness of God? Have we set apart the name of YAHWEH by the way that we live?
A true, born again, blood washed believer WILL live a life that reflects the holiness of God. I'm not talking about a life of sinless perfection- such a life is impossible in mortal flesh. But rather, I'm talking about a life that exhibits evidence of having been transformed through Jesus Christ. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Our Father in heaven, make Your name holy.
The foremost goal of each Christian must be that he or she would seek the glory of God in each and every situation. Many people believe that they are glorifying God in the "big picture" of their lives. My question is this: if God isn't being glorified in the smaller details of my life, is he being glorified at all?
Our Father in heaven, make Your name holy.
The implications of this prayer are huge. This prayer, when prayed from an ernest heart, will change everything about your life. It will change the way you talk. It will change the way you treat others. It will change how you dress. It will change what you watch on television. It will change the music you listen to. It will change what you do with your money. It will change what you do with your time. It changes everything.
Our Father in heaven, make Your name holy.
What are you willing to abandon in order that your life would reflect the holiness of God?
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." (1 John 2:15-17)
Our Father in heaven, make Your name holy.
