Lord, Teach Us How To Pray (3)

Hallowed Be Thy Name

Hallowed Means to be holy and sacred

This is the first request made in this prayer. It carries with it 2 applications.

A universal call to holiness

The World that we live in knows little of the holy and sacred.

The latin word that we get our english word Profane from is profanus and literally means “outside the temple”

In Contrast - the Latin word sacrum is where we get our word Sacred - and it describes the temple area itself.

Our word Profane covers a variety of vulgarity, including language, dress, leud behavior, etc.

These are activites that take place “outside of the temple”, in other words totally separated from the pleasure and purpose of God.

In a day when sinful lifestyles are legalized and excepted, vulgar language and dress are considered the norm and those who stand in contrast to such things are weird and unaccepting - even intolerant, it is difficult and best to stand against the current proclaiming Godliness in lifestyle.

However - it is in the backdrop that God’s Holiness will stand in stark contrast. For some drawing negaivity and downright hatred, but for others as a beacon of hope, leading them out of the darkness that threatens to consume them.

God is called by many names in the bible, each one describing a certain aspect of his character. His Name was precious to Israel. If a scribe wrote the name of God while copying the scriptures, the pen would never be used again, because, they would say, if an instrument is to be used to write the very name of God, afterwords it could never be used for any common purpose again.

Some of the names Used to describe God in the OT

El Shaddai (Lord God Almighty)

El Elyon (The Most High God)

Adonai (Lord, Master) Yahweh (Lord, Jehovah)

Jehovah Nissi (The Lord My Banner)

Jehovah-Raah (The Lord My Shepherd)

Jehovah Rapha (The Lord That Heals)

Jehovah Shammah (The Lord Is There)

Jehovah Tsidkenu (The Lord Our Righteousness)

Jehovah Mekoddishkem (The Lord Who Sanctifies You)

El Olam (The Everlasting God)

Elohim (God)

Qanna (Jealous)

Jehovah Jireh (The Lord Will Provide)

Jehovah Shalom (The Lord Is Peace)

Jehovah Sabaoth (The Lord of Hosts)

These give glimpses into the character of God and help us to know his sacredness, holiness and also his care and love for his people

When we pray, “Hallowed by thy name” we are praying that the name of God be declared as holy and righteous in the world that we live in.

And one of the ways that God does this is through the lives of His people.

A personal call to holiness

A personal call to holiness

Scripture tells us to be holy for God is holy

If we see a child who is misbehaving and in outright rebellion, often our minds begin to think of their parents. How could they allow a child to act a certain way. we begin to form opinions about the family and their home life, usually without even knowing the entire situation.

When a Child of God acts like the world, attempting to live in the profane instead of the sacred, the world around us also begins to draw conclusions about our heavenly Father.

I wonder if the worlds snowballing down the mountain, getting further and further away from God, is in part because God’s people do not live out the holiness of His name!

We excuse our attitudes and actions by claiming Christian Liberty rather than Christ’s Love for others

We attempt to avoid the title hypocrite by putting up a false front, never striving to attain the heights of holy living, fearing the potential of failure.

If you think about it, a life devoid of the struggle to holiness is one who never strives for the mastery.

1 Corinthians 9:24–27 KJV 1900

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

Paul gives us an example of the Christian race that we are in,

The Runner

The Boxer

We do not look at an athlete who sets the goal of being the best at their sport and strives their career to get there as hypocrites for failing along the path.

but as we seek to glorify the name of God in our lives and strive to holiness, we see those who stumble and fall along the way as a hypocrite.

I think that there are times we do this because we are looking for reasons in our own lives not to press forward, so when we see one struggle along the way, we say, See- they couldn’t even live up to there own expectations. It gives us reason not to try ourselves

True biblical hypocrisy is one who claims to be perfect and in need of nothing, while harboring sin in their hearts and refusing to deal with it.

But Many times what the world calls hypocrisy are the times where we fail to reach the heights we are striving for. They are watching and waiting for these times so that they can stand and say, “I knew it, they are no different than i am.”

To Pray “Hallowed by thy name” is a plea that God would give you the strength, the wisdom and the desire to live in such a way to bring Glory to his name.

It is a lifestyle lifting up the name of Christ supreme for all to see.

And when we find ourselves lacking, when we do sin and fail at the goal, it is there that we can proclaim the wonderful Grace and love of our redeemer, as he picks us up, dusts us off and says keep climbing!

When we pray, “Hallowed Be Thy Name” we are praying that God uses our lives to show a world that is plunged into darkness, the light of his grace.

This type of life contrasts....

God’s Love and the Worlds Lust,

His Grace and the Worlds emptiness,

His Redemption and the Worlds Bondage.

That is the life we have been called to.