Praying to Our Father: "Hallowed be your name"

Have you ever sat in church and not noticed the beautiful windows or the doors? You haven’t seen the rich wood or the altar area? Have you felt you didn’t need a pew because your eyes are fixed on God, your knees on the floor? I remember a pastor from when I was a young woman who always removed her shoes before giving her sermon because she felt she stood on hallowed ground. We all do. This phrase is a request. Hallowed be your name—we are praying that God do whatever it takes to be holy in our loves. Exalt yourself, magnify yourself. You be Lord and I will be quiet. When we set our sights on our God, we focus on who is above any storms that this life could bring. Each day, in the midst of our daily storms, we need to make a point to be still and set our sights on God alone. Let Him bathe you in His glory and take the troubles from your soul. Be still. Be quiet. Be open and willing and you can’t help but confess: Hallowed be your name.

“Your kingdom come”

When we say the words asking that God’s kingdom come, we are inviting the Messiah Himself to walk into our world. Come, my king. Be present in my heart. Be present in my kitchen, my office. Come into my marriage, my family, my fears and my doubts. This statement is a bold appeal for God to occupy every corner of our lives.

“Your will be done”

To pray this phrase is to seek the heart of God. What is His heart? What is His passion? God wants us to know. He sent us His Son to lead us. He gave us His Word to teach and guide us. The Holy Spirit stirs us and awakens us. He will do whatever it takes to help us see His will. Think about the many ways that God reveals Himself to us, His children: through worship with people with the same visions, through scripture, His Living Word, through Bible studies and being in a community where we delve into the Word and release new images.

Pay attention to the fire within you. Do you have a passion to sing? Then sing. Are you stirred to manage? Then manage. Do you ache for the ill? Treat them and visit them. What is the fire within you? To discover that flame is to discover God’s will.

“Give us this day our daily bread”

Who is more concerned with our daily needs than our Father in Heaven? That same hand that guides our soul gives us food for our bodies. It is our Father who comforts us and addresses our present. Martin Luther defined bread as “everything necessary for the preservation of life, including food, a healthy body, house, wife, children,” So this encourages us to talk with God about the necessities. God is committed to caring for our needs. We simply take our place at God’s table, and He gives us the daily bread suited to our needs. So many days our plates run over—a privilege, a friendship, a promotion at work, a lifetime of grace. Most days we push back from the table amazed at the kindness of God. There are those days when our daily bread might be tears or sorrow. Our portion might include adversity. If our plate has something on it that is hard to swallow, we just need to talk to God about it.

“And forgive us our sins”

This phrase helps us to remember a debt we cannot pay. Rather than loving our neighbors, we ignore them. Instead of seeking God’s will, we seek our own. WE could never repay our debts. But God assigned Himself the task of balancing our accounts. God through Jesus assumed our debt. We assumed His fortune.

“As we forgive everyone indebted to us”

What are we going to do with those who are in debt to us? Having reminded us of the grace that we have received, Jesus now speaks of that grace that we need to share. This nourishes our relationship with God.

“And do not bring us to the time of trial”

Perhaps this phrase is best explained with an illustration: Imagine a father and son walking down an icy street. The father cautions the boy to be careful, but the boy is too excited to slow down. He hits the first patch of ice and plops down. Dad comes along and helps him to his feet. The boy apologizes for disregarding the warning and then tightly holding his father’s hand he says, “ Keep me from the slippery spots.” It’s a tender request of a child to a father. The slips we encounter along the path of life have taught us that the walk is too treacherous to make alone. So we place our hand in His and say” Please, Abba, keep me from evil.”

Our Lord wants to hear from us every day. We call this The Lord’s Prayer and it is one that we can pray often but remember that prayer is simply conversation with God. He wants to hear what is in your heart today. He doesn’t care what words you use.