Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name”

Matthew 6:9

The first line of Jesus’ model prayer is familiar to most people but, perhaps, misunderstood. We must be careful not to use this prayer in the very way Jesus condemned in the previous verses (Mt. 6:7-8). By parroting these words without understanding we “heap up empty phrases” like the Gentiles and prayer ceases to be sincere communication with God and becomes instead ritualistic recitation.

What does our Lord mean by the phrase “hallowed be your name”? This is not a statement of praise (“hallowed is your name”), although that would be a perfectly appropriate expression of worship. Rather, this is request (“hallowed be your name”). It is an expression of a desire. But what exactly are we desiring?

To “hallow” something is to honor and respect it as holy. The word is translated in other places as “sanctify” or "consecrate." In this case, it is a request that God’s “name” be venerated and held in honor. In Scripture, a “name” stands for the person who bears it. God’s name represents all of who he is. Therefore, when we pray “hallowed be your name,” we are asking God to cause his name—and, thus, himself—to be honored in the world, exalted above every name. Praying some version of this prayer shows that we want God to be treated with the respect that he deserves. We want people to see God for who he is, to esteem his faithfulness and love as we do.

The Old Testament tells of Israel’s long history of dishonoring God’s name through their rebellion against him. Ezekiel 36 is particularly instructive. When God sent Israel into exile for breaking the covenant, a new problem arose. Since Israel was so closely identified with God, their disobedience “profaned” God’s name (Ezek. 36:20). But God had concern for his holy name, even if Israel didn’t, and promised to act to vindicate his name so that the nations would truly know who God is (Ezek. 36:21-23).

How would God vindicate his name? Amazingly, by saving his people! God promised to rescue Israel from slavery, gather them to himself, forgive them of their sins, replace their hearts of stone with hearts of flesh, and give them his own Spirit to cause them to—finally—walk in obedience to his will (Ezek. 36:25-28). These new covenant promises were realized when Jesus came to give himself for us. Thus, God's new covenant people (the church) hallow God’s name. How can we integrate this prayer into our lives?

God’s name is profaned in the world — To pray for God’s name to be regarded as holy is to acknowledge that it isn’t universally regarded as holy. Creation is fundamentally out of step with its Creator while so many disregard and blaspheme God’s name. Our hearts should mourn over this profanity and burn with zeal for the vindication of God’s name.

God’s name is honored in our lives — To pray for God’s name to be “hallowed” implies that we intend to hallow it in our lives, lest we be guilty of vain worship and fall into condemnation (Mt. 15:8). If Israel profaned God’s name by their rebellion, we honor God’s name by our obedience. Let us honor God by worshiping him according to his word, parenting our children in faithfulness, serving our spouse in love, respecting our leaders, laboring at work with integrity, caring for our neighbors with compassion, treating others honestly, patiently and mercifully.

God’s name is central in our prayers — In prayer, all our requests must reflect this ultimate desire for God’s name to be hallowed. When our prayers are shaped by our central concern for God’s name, it transforms the content of our prayers in two ways: first, God’s concerns will be given priority (“your name, your kingdom, your will…”) and, second, our needs will be put into perspective (“give us, forgive us, deliver us…”) (see Mt. 6:9-13).

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Luke 10:25-29

Vince Lombardi was one of the greatest football coaches of all time. He led the Green Bay Packers to five NFL Championships in seven years, winning the first two Super Bowls in 1966 and ’67. Lombardi was known to tell his players to stick to the basics. Each year, he started from scratch with his team. He would gather his players around, hold up a football and say, “Gentlemen, this is a football.”

Can you imagine saying something like that to a bunch of 200-plus pound, grizzled football veterans? It would be the equivalent of holding up a book to a librarian and saying, “This is a book. They have stories written in them.” Or holding up a piece of sheet music to a conductor and saying, “These little squiggles here are notes. You write music with them.” Or holding up a tool to a professional carpenter and saying, “This is a hammer. You hit nails with it.”

What the book is to the librarian, what music notation is to the conductor, and what the hammer is to the carpenter, the command to love one’s neighbor is to the Christian. Sometimes we behave in such a way toward others that it would be good for Jesus to walk up beside us and point to the other person and say, “This here is your neighbor. You are supposed to love him.”

Loving one another is so fundamental that if we fail to do it, we can’t say that we even know God. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 Jn. 4:7-8) “No one has ever seen God…” (1 Jn. 4:12) “If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” (1 Jn. 4:20)

In Luke chapter 10, a lawyer asked Jesus what one must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus pointed him to the Law of Moses which said that one must love God and love his neighbor as himself. The lawyer then asked, “And who is my neighbor?” In other words, who are we required to love? Where are the limits to love? Are we required to love even disreputable people? Does this include those who hold wrong views on politics, religion and morality? The lawyer was hoping Jesus would see how difficult Leviticus 19:18 was to interpret. Just who is my neighbor? Who are we required to love?

Jesus’ answer was to tell the parable of the Good Samaritan which turns the lawyer’s question on its head. The lawyer was looking at the commandment to love from the point of view of the one giving love. Jesus told the parable from the perspective of the one in need of love. “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.” (Lk. 10:30) There is no way to identify this man, thus rendering the lawyer’s question moot. We don’t know anything about the victim except that he is needs of love. Our neighbor is our fellow man, irrespective of any labels. Out of the three examples Jesus gave, only the Samaritan, whom Jews of the time despised, had compassion and helped the man in the ditch. This unlikely hero understood the fundamentals of being human.

Jesus ends his discussion with the lawyer as he began, with the command to love one’s neighbor (Lk. 10:28, 37). In our quest as Christians living east of Eden and under the sun, let us never forget something so fundamental as “love your neighbor as yourself.”

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-22

Paul instructs Christians to “pray without ceasing.” This echoes the parable of Jesus which teaches that disciples “ought always to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1-8). Ceaseless prayer suggests a mental awareness of God’s presence and a disposition of heart that seeks constant communication with him. The knowledge of God's nearness forms the basis for this command; God is “near to the brokenhearted” (Psa. 34:18) and is “not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27). The omnipresence of God means that no matter where we are, God is “there” to “lead” and “hold” us (Psa. 139:7-12). God’s nearness is a comfort to the faithful and a great encouragement to pray. Though he is “far from the wicked” he “hears the prayer of the righteous.” (Prov. 15:29)

This constant communication with God offers tremendous practical blessings to the Christian. Throughout the day, our thoughts often turn to worry, fear, discouragement and anger. But when we have the mindset of ceaseless prayer, we turn those unfruitful thoughts over to God. Undisciplined thinking results in anxiety and propels us away from God as our imagination takes over in all the wrong ways (see Mt. 6:25-34). But the one who “prays without ceasing” disciplines his mind and takes every thought captive (2 Cor. 10:5).

When our minds are trained to “pray without ceasing,” we learn to surrender our thoughts to God and receive the peace only he can give: “The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:5-7) Note that the nearness of the Lord forms the foundation for the command to take everything to him in prayer.

In another place, Paul says we are to “continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” (Col. 4:2) He sees prayer as an indispensable piece of our spiritual kit and an effective weapon against evil (Eph. 6:18). Prayer is our first line of defense in our trials and our first method of attack in our fight against the powers of darkness. When we pray ceaselessly, we remain strong because we are continually dependent on God’s grace (2 Cor. 12:9-10).

Because we live for the world to come, we experience constant tension in a world that is “passing away” (1 Jn. 2:17). Alone, we simply cannot bear up against the pressures and temptations of this “present world” (Rom. 12:1-2; 2 Tim. 4:10). Hence the need to be in constant communication with God through ceaseless prayer. We cannot afford any interruption in that fellowship or else we will quickly lose our way. Prayer should be as natural to Christians as breathing: we breathe in God’s truth (his communication to us through his word) and breathe out God’s praise (our communication with him through prayer).

Jesus taught that because his disciples were not “of the world,” the world would hate them (Jn. 15:18-19). He asked the Father not to “take them out of the world” but that he would “keep them from the evil one” (Jn. 17:15). One way God answers Jesus’ request is by providing us the avenue of prayer. Though the whole world lies in the power of the evil one (1 Jn. 5:19), when we “pray without ceasing” he cannot gain any purchase on us because we are safely abiding in Christ (Jn. 15:1-11; Rom. 8:38-39). In the world we experience tribulation, but in Christ—where we enjoy access to God through him—we have peace (Jn. 16:33). Ceaseless prayer is an essential part of Christian living. It keeps us humble, thankful, joyful, focused and at peace, despite the daily challenges we face.

Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.’” And Aaron held his peace.

Leviticus 10:3

Stories like Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10), Uzzah and the ark (2 Sam. 6), Phinehas (Num. 25), Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5) and Herod Agrippa (Acts 12) all illustrate, in very dramatic ways, the importance of showing reverence to God. Psalm 89:5-7 says:

Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord,
    your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!

For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?
    Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord,

a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones,
    and awesome above all who are around him?

God is altogether holy. He is in a category of one. Therefore, it is vital that his covenant people exhibit God’s holiness in their lives (Lev. 19:2). Knowledge of God’s holiness transforms the way we regard him in our hearts. Peter says, "in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy” (1 Pet. 3:15). When Christ is sanctified in our hearts (regarded as “holy”), we can demonstrate proper reverence for God in all areas of life: religious, moral, social, etc. Reverence is connected with the idea of a healthy fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom (Prov. 9:10). Fearing the Lord will affect our attitude toward morality. We will develop a hatred for wrong and a love for what is right (Prov. 8:13; Psa. 119:112-114). When we hate evil and love good (Rom. 12:9), we will turn away from evil and pursue good (Prov. 3:7; 16:6; Psa. 34:11-18). Thus, the fear of the Lord transforms us from the inside out. Learning to fear God keeps us from wrong (Ex. 20:20).

Lest we mistakenly think “the fear of the Lord” is merely an Old Covenant concept, consider God's promise through the prophet Jeremiah, “I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.” (Jer. 32:40)

Practically, how can we demonstrate reverence toward God today? There are many ways, but consider these three:

We demonstrate reverence in how we speak of God — The third commandment says, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” (Ex. 20:7) Using the acronym “OMG” or saying “Oh my God,” if it is not uttered in a prayerful or worshipful way, is a vain use of God’s name. To use God’s name as an expletive in conversation displays a deeply irreverent attitude. When we speak of God, we must speak of him with the highest respect.

We demonstrate reverence in how we speak to God — Jesus taught us to pray to “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” (Mt. 6:9) We have a ready audience in prayer with our Father who loves us. But we must never forget that he is our heavenly Father. Yes, he is near, but he is also above and separate from us. Because of what Christ has done, we can approach God’s throne confidently (Heb. 4:16) but never casually.

We demonstrate reverence in how we listen to God — When Ezra the scribe read the Law before the congregation, everyone stood to listen. “And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.” (Neh. 8:3) The people demonstrated their reverence to God in how they listened to God’s word. Whenever the Bible is read and expounded, we must exhibit this same reverent attitude in our hearing. Let us “receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” and be reverent doers as well as reverent hearers of the word (Jas. 1:19-27).

Are you demonstrating reverence to God in these ways?

…When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.

John 8:28-29

As a fully human being, Jesus possessed his own will, the power of choice to either do what he wanted or to submit to God. Part of the good news is that he sought his Father’s will not his own (Jn. 4:34; 5:19, 30; 12:44-50, etc.). He never spoke or acted on his own initiative but submitted to the Father’s authority. When Christ came into the world, he said, “Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.” (Heb. 10:7)

Jesus came not only to do the will of God but to announce the good news of God’s reign (Mt. 4:23; Isa. 52:7). The kingdom is about God’s rule and his will being done (Mt. 6:10). God’s rule and his will are inseparable. To say, “Not as I will, but as you will,” (Mt. 26:39) is to submit to God’s authority as King. Knowing God’s will is vital if we are to carry it out. God has revealed his will in Scripture and Jesus has shown us what seeking God’s will looks like. The question, “Whose will am I seeking?” is the same as asking, “Who am I trying to please?” or “Who is enthroned as King in my life?”

Jesus sought his Father’s will (Jn. 4:34), sought to please his Father (Jn. 8:29) and, though being equal with God, divested himself of his divine prerogatives and voluntarily submitted himself to his Father’s authority (Phil. 2:3-11). In doing so, Jesus showed us the way of righteousness and blessing (Psa. 1). Disciples can and do please God by living under his authority and seeking his will like Jesus (1 Cor. 6:19-20; 2 Cor. 5:9; Col. 1:10; 2 Tim. 2:4).

However, seeking someone else’s will other than our own, even God’s perfect will, is difficult. Paul urges Christians to set their mind on the Spirit because “the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Rom. 8:5-8) And again, the “desires of the flesh are against the Spirit.” (Gal. 5:16-17)

When Paul speaks of walking “according to the flesh” or being “in the flesh” he is speaking about living in opposition to God. The “flesh” is Paul’s shorthand for the part of us that still struggles in rebellion against God. Therefore, to live “according to the flesh” is to live according to our will and our desires instead of God’s will and God’s desires. This has been the human condition since Genesis 3.

The battle between the flesh and the Spirit (Gal. 5) is ongoing for the Christian. Which will win out as the dominating influence, the ruling power that calls the shots, is up to us. However, it is a battle that, without Jesus, we are bound to lose (Rom. 7:24-25). Jesus has freed us from our slavery to the flesh. In him, we can now live by God’s Spirit (Rom. 8). Whereas the “flesh” was controlled by sin and rebelled against God, living by God’s “Spirit” means being free to live in obedience to God’s good will which the Spirit revealed.

Jesus won the battle by submitting to his Father’s will and going to the cross to give himself for us. Through his self-sacrifice we can be completely cleansed of sin and given new hearts that desire to obey God (Ezek. 36:26-27). We hope in Jesus, who overcame temptation and lived by the Spirit as a human (Heb. 2:17-18; 4:15-16), who lived a life fully pleasing to God by completely surrendering his will to the Father. As his disciples, we are to emulate his example so that we can overcome sin and live a blessed life (1 Pet. 2:21).

Who are you trying to please in life? Whose will are you seeking? Who is ruling as your king? In Christ, we are free from “the flesh.” That is, we are free from being led by our corrupt desires, obeying our every impulse and taking our cues from our morally confused culture. Instead, in Jesus, we can walk by the Spirit.