Monday, March 2, 2015

Teach us to Pray, part 8: Hallowed be thy name

And He said to them, "When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. 'Give us each day our daily bread. 'And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.'" (Luke 11:2-4 NASB)

A solid understanding of God as our Father is such a vital part of the life of a disciple that we could linger on the word "Father" for weeks, but we move now to the holiness of His name. The word translated as "name" is onoma and means more than just the word by which one is called or identified. According to Thayer, it "is used for all those qualities which are summed up in that name, and by which God makes Himself known to men." 

"Hallowed be Your name" does not simply mean that the name we use to call on God is hallowed. It means that His nature, all the attributes of God are hallowed, as well. The word used here is hagiazō and indicates that His name is holy, consecrated, sacred, pure. We, who as a society are so casual with the name of God, would do well to understand the absolute sacredness of His name and treat it with the respect it deserves.

Over the next few days, we will look at the sacred names of God in detail, but for today, let's just look at His names in Scripture and their meanings. Remember that each of the names reveals an attribute of God, a way in which He makes Himself known to us. Understanding His attributes helps us to understand this Amazing God we serve. As we read through this list, Let's think about the ways in which God has made Himself known to us and how we have seen Him active in these ways. As we pray, let's use the names of God to thank Him for the ways He has showed Himself at work in our lives and on our behalf. 

El Shaddai   (Lord God Almighty)
El Elyon   (The Most High God)
Adonai   (Lord, Master)
Yahweh   (Lord, Jehovah)
Jehovah Nissi   (The Lord My Banner)
Jehovah-Raah   (The Lord is My Shepherd)
Jehovah Rapha   (The Lord that Heals)
Jehovah Shammah   (The Lord is There)
Jehovah Tsidkenu   (The Lord Our Righteousness)
Jehovah Mekoddishkem   (The Lord Who Sanctifies You)
El Olam   (The Everlasting God)
Elohim   (God)
Qanna   (Jealous)
Jehovah Jireh   (The Lord Will Provide)
Jehovah Shalom   (The Lord is Peace)
Jehovah Sabaoth   (The Lord of Hosts)

Father, even Your name is holy, pure, sacred. Help us to treat it accordingly. 



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