First We Must Hallow - by Anthony Cooksey

The Lord’s Prayer: First we must Hallow (part 3)

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which are in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” Matthew 6:9-13

Part 3: Hallowed be Thy Name. 

Set apart. Set above. Praise. Worship. To hallow is to put that which you are honoring in its proper place: its holy place. What place does the name of God deserve? To what great heights is Elohim (my creator) to be placed? Is there a throne high enough for Jehovah? Can our feeble hands lift the name Yahweh? Is there an ocean of words vast enough to encompass the Great I Am?

We must not look at the structure of the template of prayer that Christ gave us as a mistake. It was ordered in this exact way for a specific reason. After establishing who it is that we are even praying to, (Our Father, which are in HEAVEN), the very first thing that Christ does is give Him praise. 

The preeminent step is to honor. Before any breath of petition or airing of grief; before any casting of cares or seeking of direction, He worships. Christ has placed the name of God and the honoring, or hallowing, of that name at the foremost of His prayer to the Father. 

This begs the question: why? Because He deserves it. His Name deserves it. He is so high, so beyond, so unfathomably great that we must first fall on our face and praise Him. 

We are incapable of understanding fully just how great our God is. Moses was shielded from seeing the face of God, so he did not die from witnessing His fully glory (Exodus 33). 

“The mountains quake before Him, the hills melt, and the earth heaves at His presence, yes the world and all who dwell in it.” Nahum 1:5. 

“In the beginning God…” Gen.1:1. 

The list goes on and on, never finding its end, because there is no end to the greatness of God; no ceasing of praise; no halting of worship when it comes to Yahweh.  

Gone is the liturgy of old; gone are the sacrifices offered up to honor God. The unnecessary formalities of ritual that people performed in adherence to strict code and requirement have since passed away. Christ brought with Him a new relationship to God. He offers God as Father. Our relationship is different. Our reverence should not be. 

Nothing has changed about God. He is constant. 

Though lambs are no longer to be slaughtered, or incense burnt, our lives must be offered. His name still commands our highest esteem. How do you treat your Bible, the Word of God? Is it under a stack of books? Collecting dust? Do you not know because you do not read it, because its not worthy of your time and attention? How do you use the name of Jesus? Forget using the Lord’s name as a slur or curse, but do you invoke the name of Jesus carelessly? Do you use it flippantly? Using the Lord’s name in vain means much more than accompanying it with a derogatory word. Be mindful of how we treat His name. Take care to honor and esteem Him in a worthy manner with our speech. 

Hallowing encompasses much more than words alone. We honor the name of God with our life - With how we love - How we sacrifice. We worship our creator by being who He created us to be. We hallow Him by making Him known to those around us.

“And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.” Psalms 9:10. 

Knowing His name implies much more than hearing the word “Lord.” Hearing or knowing the name Jesus, adds not a single thing to your life. You cannot trust in a name itself.  You place your trust in the one behind that name. Knowing His name or hallowing His name is knowing Him or hallowing Him. To honor we must know His character. To worship, we must know who we are worshiping. 

Know His attributes and know His deeds. What a beautiful dichotomy the Lord has presented us with: We honor and bow down before His holiness; we worship and give reverence to His ultimate might and power, His command over the heavens and the earth. Yet, we are also able to adore and praise and stand in absolute wonder at our heavenly Father. Fear and love have never been so beautifully intertwined.

The Lord will be praised. If we keep silent, the rocks will cry out. He will be worshiped. The heavens will declare the works of His hands. He will be honored. Every knee shall bow and tongue confess. 

He will be hallowed by His name. 

His works alone - His character alone - He alone will show His glory. 

Christ hallowed His name and Lord willing, the Holy Spirit working in us will allow us to hallow it as well.