Hallowed Be Your Name
Hallowed Be Your Name. Jesus said that the Father's name is hallowed, but what does it mean to be hallowed? Only God is holy, and therefore, only God is to be hallowed.
9 In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Matthew 6:9, NKJV
2 So He said to them, "When you pray, say:
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Luke 11:2, NKJV
Hallowed Be Your Name
Jesus said that the Father's name is hallowed, but what does it mean to be hallowed? According to Webster's Dictionary, it means: To make holy or set apart for holy use. What, then, does the word "holy" mean? Webster's Dictionary defines holy as: Exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness.
According to these definitions, only God is holy, and therefore, only
God is to be hallowed. That is exactly the point that Jesus is making in
verse 9 of Matthew 6. Only God is perfect in goodness and
righteousness; as such, His name is to be hallowed or set apart for holy
use.
The Jews so valued God's holy name that they would not speak it aloud
and would only write it with the consonants, leaving out the vowels. In
our day we have totally lost the sense of the holiness of God's name. As
a matter of fact, even Christians' ears no longer tingle when they hear
people take God's name in vane or use it as a swear word, as it is so
commonplace, even among children.
This should not be the case! We as God's children need to return to
having a sense of awe even upon just speaking or hearing God's name. How
can we rekindle that element into our daily lives? The outward
manifestations of our actions and words are a very accurate indicator of
the true state of our hearts before God.
In Luke 6, Jesus said, A good man out of the good treasure of his
heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his
heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his
mouth speaks.
Luke 6:45, NKJV
It all comes down to our hearts, does it not? How can we learn to hallow
God's name? We can learn to hallow God's name by spending time, daily,
reading and studying God's Word, and spending time in prayer. Through
the means God has given us, we need to immerse ourselves in Christ:
Bible study, prayer, fellowship with other believers, attending a Bible
believing church, and developing friendships with other believers are
just a few of the many means at our disposal to do this very thing.
Christ saves, but we have the responsibility to actively pursue growth in Godliness.
Paul reminds us in Philippians 2: Therefore,
my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but
now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His
good pleasure.
Philippians 2:12-13, NKJV
Let us, then, work out our own salvation in fear and trembling, remembering that we serve a holy and righteous God.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
Devotional Reflections from the Bible
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