We continue our Red Letter MonDays series on the Lord’s Prayer.
“Hallowed be Your Name.“– Jesus, The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9)
Once Jesus had taught His disciples to pray to God as “Father,” He added what seems at first sight to be a simple statement of praise. “May Your Name be made holy.” Yet, this phrase reveals a deeper nuance often missing in our prayers.
Praising God means more than just saying, “God, I praise You” or even, “Lord, we glorify Your Name.” Our personal praise must indeed be a part of our prayer life, but the request for God to be glorified must spread beyond our own words. Jesus does not teach us here that we should lift up God’s name at all. The words “we” or “I” don’t even appear. Likewise, the verb translated “hallowed” is not in the first person, meaning we do not by ourselves, hallow God’s Name.
The phrase “Hallowed be Your Name” means: “God, may all creation make Your Name holy.” When we lift up our hearts in prayer, we are to cry out, “Father, may the whole world resound with praises to You!” The adoration does not end with us. God’s glory far exceeds the bare praises we bring before Him personally. After we approach God as “Father,” Jesus tells us to pray that His Name be revered.Thus we can pray: Hallowed be Your Name among the stars and the heavens! Hallowed be Your Name in the animal kingdom, among every living creature on earth! May Your Name be declared holy upon the clouds, hilltops, the mountains that bow down and the seas that roar at the sound of Your Name! Hallowed be Your Name even among those who don’t know You, those in suffering, persecution, and anguish! Hallowed be Your Name in Iraq, the Gaza Strip, in Sudan, Madrid. Hallowed be Your Name in the places where evil seems to be reigning!
Our hearts should be overflowing with the prayer that our world would find freedom from sin, death, and evil. Jesus challenges us to learn prayer on the cosmic scale. In addition to our personal praises, we must desire the honor of God’s name by all creation, that all mankind will be able to call Him “Father.”