I really loved my father. I was so proud of him, and proud to call him, “Dad”. I would never have wanted anyone to say or hear anything bad about my father. I knew my father well, and wanted his name and reputation to be respected and honored. So, I get why the first thing Jesus teaches us to pray is that our Father’s name be hallowed.

When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, a person’s name in that culture represented a person’s character, reputation and nature. So, we begin our praying by asking that God our Father’s name and reputation be hallowed. Hallowed is not a word we use in everyday conversation, but it is one of the great words of the Bible. Hallowed is the 1611 King James translation of the Greek hagiazo, “to treat as holy,” “to sanctify,” “to regard with awe and reverence.” Sadly, we live amidst a post-Christian society in which our Father’s name, His reputation, and His character are blasphemed, ridiculed, if not simply ignored. Our nation has become like that described by the apostle Paul, in which people “did not honor him as God or give thanks to him” and “worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:21, 25).

If we go wrong by not honoring God, then we can only begin to go right by honoring God and praying “hallowed be your name.” As we pray for our Father’s name to be reverenced by others, we pray that He be reverenced in us, in our thoughts, words, and actions. We long to so live that our light shines before others, and that they give glory to our Father in the heavens (Matthew 5:16). We join our hearts in prayer with David’s burning heart, “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name” (Psalm 29:2). The heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1), and we pray that we too may bring glory to our Father’s name and reputation by the way we live. Let it begin with us! “Hallowed by your name.”

PRAY THE LORD’S PRAYER (MORNING-NOON-NIGHT)