The Lord's Prayer, Phrase by Phrase, Part 3
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
Today we take another look at the well known phrase "Hallowed be your name."
What does "hallowed" mean?
The English word hallowed comes to us from the Greek word "hagiazo." The most important thing to know here is that this word is a verb ( an action word), not an adjective (a descriptive word).
This means hallowing God's name (or reputation, will and purpose, or presentation and character) is something we actually do. It's an action word, not an informational or descriptive word. There is a descriptive form of the word, but that form doesn't appear in this prayer.
Hallowed means these things:
consecrated,
made holy,
honored
blessed
sanctified
admired
respected
worshiped.
Hallowing is something we do, not something we only know, think about, or consider.
When we say "Hallowed be your name", we are really saying these things:
I worship your will.
I respect your purposes.
I admire your character.
I sanctify your presentation.
I bless your purposes.
I honor your character.
I make holy how I present you to others.
I consecrate (dedicate) myself to you.
This statement of God's character and goodness goes before any requests . Our actions in "God's name" demonstrate our faithfulness and determination to obey.
We are inviting the one true God into our lives, hearts, and actions. We are willing instruments of God's purposes and character.
In teaching this prayer, Jesus guides us to 1. know the object of our prayer (God the Father), 2. know where this Father is, and 3. know how we are going to relate to this heavenly Father.
Only after these facts are established does Jesus teach us ask for something.
Now we are ready to ask.
Next week: "your kingdom come"
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
Today we take another look at the well known phrase "Hallowed be your name."
What does "hallowed" mean?
The English word hallowed comes to us from the Greek word "hagiazo." The most important thing to know here is that this word is a verb ( an action word), not an adjective (a descriptive word).
This means hallowing God's name (or reputation, will and purpose, or presentation and character) is something we actually do. It's an action word, not an informational or descriptive word. There is a descriptive form of the word, but that form doesn't appear in this prayer.
Hallowed means these things:
consecrated,
made holy,
honored
blessed
sanctified
admired
respected
worshiped.
Hallowing is something we do, not something we only know, think about, or consider.
When we say "Hallowed be your name", we are really saying these things:
I worship your will.
I respect your purposes.
I admire your character.
I sanctify your presentation.
I bless your purposes.
I honor your character.
I make holy how I present you to others.
I consecrate (dedicate) myself to you.
This statement of God's character and goodness goes before any requests . Our actions in "God's name" demonstrate our faithfulness and determination to obey.
We are inviting the one true God into our lives, hearts, and actions. We are willing instruments of God's purposes and character.
In teaching this prayer, Jesus guides us to 1. know the object of our prayer (God the Father), 2. know where this Father is, and 3. know how we are going to relate to this heavenly Father.
Only after these facts are established does Jesus teach us ask for something.
Now we are ready to ask.
Next week: "your kingdom come"
Comments