May 3

Glorifying God

So then, this is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. — Matt 6:9 BSB

While the name “Our Father” over the gate of prayer assures us of love and care, the words “who is in heaven” remind us of God’s surpassing glory and majesty. We should not diminish the importance of “hallowed be your name.” We must not approach Him as we would an earthly parent. We should remember His infinite greatness and holiness, and always come before Him with reverence. His name is to be “hallowed.” “Holy and reverent is His name.”

This petition reminds us to pause and approach God with a deep awareness of our unworthiness and His holiness. It encourages us to be reverent, even as we are bold.

The prayer found in Matthew’s Gospel is a prayer for God’s glory to be revealed in the world. When we pray this, we must ensure that we do our part in making His name holy. We can do this by using His name with reverence in our speech. Even good Christians can grow careless in speaking of God, using His name in prayer and speech as casually as if it were a friend’s name. I have seen someone with dirty hands pluck a pure flower, and it seemed disrespectful. But what can we say about ourselves when we take the holy and awesome name of God on our sin-stained lips? We should learn to speak His name with reverence.

We must also hallow His name in our lives. We are God’s children and bear His name. How does a child honor their parent’s name? By living a life worthy of that parent. We must ensure that in every part of our behavior, character, and influence, we reflect the beauty of God. It would be tragic if we gave others the wrong idea of God or the Christian faith.