hallowed be your name
Matthew 6:9
Imagine an American soldier in uniform during the World War II era. What did he represent?
He was more than just “Steve Johnson from Peoria, Illinois.” When Steve put on that uniform he represented …
· All the mothers praying in the churches.
· All the children collecting tin cans and scrap metal to made into canteens.
· All the women at home who were volunteering at the Red Cross.
· The might of a thousand tanks crawling through the forests and a hundred ships patrolling the seas.
· The enduring character of George Washington, Abe Lincoln, and thousands of brave men and women who’d gone before them.
· The stars and stripes that continually unfurled liberty.
A soldier was not just a soldier. He represented something much, much bigger!
In a sense, that’s what praying “hallowed be thy name” means.
God is holy. He doesn’t need us to make him holier. But in this petition, we are asking – in part – to be dressed in God’s name, God’s character, and God’s honor, just a like a soldier is dressed in a uniform.
We can represent God well and wear that name with honor. Or we can represent that name poorly.
To represent the name of God poorly, means that we are disgracing the “uniform” by failing to hallow thy name.
To represent it well means that we can begin to discover the power behind that name. Luke 10:17-18, give us an example of this: “The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!’ [Jesus] said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning.’”
The enemy does not tremble at the sight of one soldier. But the enemy definitely trembles at what that soldier represents – and the power of that name. When you pray, “Hallowed be thy name,” be aware of the costs and benefits. The cost is service. The benefits are love, joy, peace, power, and blessing.
In Christ’s Love,
a man gladly in uniform
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