Hallowed Be Thy Name
The first requests of the Lord’s Prayer, like the first instructions of the Ten Commandments, are concerned with God and the greatness of his name. “Hallowed be thy name”, or as one modern translation puts it “may your name be regarded as holy!”
It is deeply saddening to see how God’s name has become little more than a cheap swear word to the world around us. Few think anything of it, even teachers in our schools and parents in our homes vent their frustration by treating God’s name as if it were some small thing. In a world which loves to condemn ‘hate speech’, blasphemy it seems, is exempt.
But before we rush to judge others, we need to take a look closer to home. The Church are the bearers of his name. We carry the name of our God and Father in a foreign land, as subjects of his Kingdom and sons and daughters of the King.
The biblical expectation is that as those chosen by the Father, bought by the blood of the Son and sealed with the Spirit, we will want to be holy because he is holy. We are those called by his name and created for His glory (Isa 43:7) and so we should want to ‘hallow’ His name not just with our lips, but with our lives.
If we live impure, unloving lives what will that do to the reputation of our God? If we have little room for wonder and awe even in our worship gatherings, why would people fear God- and the fear of the Lord is where wisdom begins! (Proverbs 9:10)
“As it is written: ‘God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.’”
Romans 2:24
It’s deeply humbling to think that the way people think about God, the way people treat his great name might be impacted by the things we say and do. A holy and loving people, point to a holy and loving God. May he hallow his name in us, for his glory!
Amen.