Hallowed Be Your Name: Reordering Our View of God

Scripture:

Matthew 6:9

9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, (NIV)

Devotional Reflection:

Hallow is not a word many are familiar with. It means to make something holy or sacred. When Christ teaches us how we should pray, we first must position ourselves as little children whose Dad is also the Creator and Sustainer of everything visible and invisible, who sits above all power and dominion. What an amazing thought. But then Christ teaches that we are to hallow His name.

God is holy. He is sacred. He is the source of anything and everything holy and sacred. When Christ is teaching us how to pray, He is reminding us of the many issues of life that filter into our mind and spirit that may cause us to not see the Lord in the light of His divinity. Modern Christianity can and has, at times, trivialized God with expressions like, ‘Jesus is my homeboy.’ The intent is good. Jesus is our Friend, but He is not like any other friend we have.

He is pure. There is no sin in Him. His wisdom and power literally hold together the universe, every star and planet in place. Even more, He holds all physical matter. Scientists have found evidence of 100–200 billion galaxies from the Hubble telescope. However, new technology is suggesting there may be as many as 1 trillion galaxies. God doesn’t simply hold together our galaxy, the Milky Way, but trillions more. The extent of His power reflects the perfection of His holiness. As great as His power is, it is to an even greater degree that He is perfect, holy, and righteous. It is to the extent that even the most moral man on earth has a character analogous to the most vile filth and corruption compared to God. He is not just another friend. He is the Highest of High, most perfect being.

When we pray, we must position Him in His rightful place in our hearts and minds to humble ourselves before Him because pride kills prayer. 

Our pride is easily seen in the way we attempt to handle every issue on our own more than relying on His way of doing things. Every act of disobedience is a lack of trust as if we know more than Him. Before we can enter into a deep conversation with the Lord, we must purposely break the pride in us as best we can to experience deep communion with God. This is a movement within our spirit that requires effort to force our perception into alignment with who He is and who we are.

Prayer

Father, You are holy and set apart above all things. Forgive us for the ways we have lowered You in our minds and treated You as less than You are. Help us to see You rightly—high, exalted, and worthy of all reverence. Humble our hearts, break our pride, and align our perception with the truth of Your greatness. Teach us to hallow Your name in every prayer and every moment of our lives. In Jesus’ name, amen.