Hallowed be Your Name

Yesterday the morning sermon looked at a phrase from the Lord's Prayer--Hallowed be your name. Hallow means to regard as holy, to treat reverently. I was challenged to remember how holy God is, especially as I approach Him in prayer. I am thankful that God has adopted believers to be His children, and that we are invited to cast all of our cares upon Him. Those realities, however, might tempt us to forget that we are praying to the Lord Almighty, creator of heaven and earth, the sovereign God of the universe.

The fear of the Lord is not a concept you hear much about these days in many Christian circles, but it is a biblical concept. In January I read Proverbs, and the fear of the Lord is mentioned 16 times in that one book. We are commanded to fear the Lord several times, and learn several benefits of obeying this command. The fear of the Lord brings wisdom (1:7; 9:10; 15:33), prolongs life (10:27), brings confidence (14:26), is a fountain of life (14:27), keeps one away from evil (16:6), brings satisfied sleep (19:23), and is rewarded by riches, honor and life.

On the other hand, forgetting God's holiness and treating Him irreverently can have severe consequences. One example is found in Leviticus 10:1-3, when Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, offered 'strange fire' before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. The result: fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them. Why? God explains in verse 3, "By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy." This is not optional to God. I am thankful that He is gracious and doesn't kill all of us who ever approach Him lightly. But I am challenged to think about who He is when I come near Him in prayer.

So next time you go to prayer, take some time to reflect on the great and awesome, perfectly holy God you are praying to, and hallow His name.