Majesty Of God's Namesናሙና

Jesus’ words at the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer also address the majesty of God’s name: 

Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Matthew 6:9

The term hallowed comes from the Greek word we typically translate as holy. It means to be set apart or sanctified. In other words, God’s names are unique. They’re not for us to mix up with anyone else’s name or to treat lightly. God’s names are hallowed. They’re to be honored, respected, and treated with the reverence they deserve. 

For example, if the president of the United States walked into the room, you wouldn’t speak to him or her in an informal way. You wouldn’t say, “What’s up, Dude?” The position of president demands a certain degree of recognition and respect. 

Obviously, God’s names are to be treated with even higher respect than what we’d give to any person on earth. We’re commanded to hallow His names—not only the verbalization of His names but also the way we think about and reflect on them.

To hallow God’s names means to treat them as if they carry weight—as if they’re significant. It means we recognize that God isn’t an ordinary Being and that His names aren’t ordinary names. We’re not flippant about them. Certainly we shouldn’t take His names in vain. But we can also hallow God’s names simply by choosing to use them only in a way that communicates reverence, respect, worship, and even fear. 

To know God’s names is to experience His nature, and that level of intimacy is reserved for those who are humbly dependent on Him. Because God will not share His glory with another (see Isa. 42:8), we must humble ourselves if we really want to know Him. We must recognize our own insignificance before we can experience the significance that comes only through Him. 

God’s name is majestic. It’s unique and set apart—something worthy of being hallowed through our actions and attitudes. Only when we hallow God’s name can we hope to truly experience its power. 

Do you love getting to know God's names? We thought so and wanted to bring you a gift download of a sermon by Tony Evans called "Jehovah Jireh: The Lord Will Provide." To request yours, simply click this link.