“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.”
Matthew 6:9
If there was only one thing that could make the world a better place, what would it be? What would it take to eliminate all heartache, all rebellion, all selfishness, all strife, all evil? What would be that elusive ‘silver bullet’ the world has been seeking for centuries? How could we finally achieve ‘world peace’? The answer has been staring us in the face for thousands of years. Jesus told us in no uncertain terms how to solve all our problems, in one simple phrase:
“Our Father who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy name”. (Matt. 6:9)
That’s it. That’s the secret that’s hiding in plain sight. If every person on earth would “hallow God’s name”, all the world’s problems would disappear over night.
What does it mean, exactly, to “hallow God’s name”?
It means that we each treat God with the honour that He deserves as our Sovereign Lord and Creator. Every thought, every word and ever deed is carefully and sincerely geared toward showing God all love, respect and obedience in all things. Paul captured it well:
“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Col. 3:17)
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Phil. 4:8)
Are we in “awe” of God?
The ancients had a single word they used to describe the appropriate state of being between man and God: Awe.
Do we ‘fear’ God in the right sense of the word? (cf. Psa. 119:120; Prov. 1:7; Heb. 10:30-31). Do we fall on our face when we’re in His presence, like Abraham (Gen. 17:1-3), Moses and Aaron in the tabernacle (Num. 20:6-7), Paul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-5) and all those who are in God’s heavenly throne room?
“And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” (Rev. 7:11-12)
As we commit each new day to the Lord as His redeemed children, that’s the image we need to keep in mind if were ever wondering what it means to “hallow God’s name”.
If every person on earth committed their life to Christ as Lord and Saviour (Rom. 10:9) and through the power of His Spirit lived their life in a constant state of awe of God’s holiness, majesty, power and authority, just think what kind of a world it would be?
Jesus elaborated further on this life-saving concept when He summarised the entire message of the Bible in two simples rules for life:
“And (Jesus) said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets...'” (Matt. 22:37-40)
One day soon, by hook or by crook, all people will honour God’s name:
“Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2:9-11)
Until then, we can’t control how the world chooses to live, but we can seek God’s help to control how we live. It starts with each one of us choosing to hallow God’s name every day, leading by example and striving to spread the sweet smell of God’s holiness in our little patch of the planet. Then, one day, we’ll hear those wonderful words we all long to hear from our Holy Father in Heaven:
“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’” (Matt. 25:21)
For further reflection, listen to “Majesty” by Maranatha Music: