The Lord's Prayerنموونە

Hallowed Be Your Name

Hallowed, as defined by the Oxford Languages Dictionary is “to be made holy; consecrated” or “greatly revered and honoured”; which brings me to this question:

How greatly do we revere God in our lives?

Dear friend, we need to ask ourselves this question because it affects how we pray to God. Whether we revere God – or whether we consider Him holy or not – will affect the posture of our hearts as we approach Him in prayer.

As I recall my earlier childhood, I am struck by how demanding I was whenever I made requests to my earthly father. It was always about my needs and wants, not thinking about why he might have declined my requests until years later. Rather than a parent I could lean on for sound judgement and guidance, my earthly father was a love bank in my eyes. If I received what I asked for, he loved me, so I thought. If I didn’t, then the opposite was true. I did not respect his authority in my life, nor did I care about his desires for me. I didn’t think he knew what was best for me.

This snowballed into the way I spoke to God: demand after demand, blaming Him whenever my prayer requests were not answered. “Why?” I would ask in agony, wiping tears with the back of my hand in the bathroom (most likely after an argument in which I was clearly in the wrong but still in denial of it all). Looking back, it’s amazing how God never abandoned me after all that. He never left me and He never will.

It was only when I encountered God’s everlasting love that I realised how low I saw Him in my heart. God did not have to bow to me and to my desires. I was – and am! – to bow to Him and Him alone, knowing that I can trust His judgement for my life and that I can present myself in humility at His feet.

The disciples were drawn to the way Jesus was praying to God. They noticed that there was something special in praying to Him and they wanted to do the same. What I see in them is a group of children, longing to honour God in prayer as a result of recognising who He is and who they are in Him. We are made for more than religion. We are made for a relationship with our Father in heaven. May we approach Him like little children, trusting that He knows what’s best for us and will answer our requests according to His great love for us.

Reflection:

How greatly do you revere God in your heart? Do you recognise that God’s judgement is higher than your own, and that He knows what’s best for you?

Prayer:

Heavenly Father,

You are most worthy to be praised. You alone are holy, You alone are great, You alone are to be honoured and revered.

Father, I ask for Your forgiveness today. Please forgive me for the times when I have treated you so lowly, when I have thought that You should serve me, and when I have not approached you with honour.

Let my heart be transformed from today onwards, God. I long to approach You as Your beloved child. Please help me to honour You.

In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.