Message #6 (of 20) from the PrayerPower radio series
"Jesus' Teaching on Prayer"

by Kaye Johns

In Matthew 6 Jesus taught His disciples to pray "Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name." [Matthew 6:9, KJV] We don’t use the word hallow much these days, apart from this model prayer. Hallow means to set something apart as holy.

When we hallow God’s name, we reflect not only on Who He is, but who we are in relation to Him. We come to the place of prayer humbled and dependent upon our Father God Who is everything we are not. Jesus teaches this is the place where our prayers are to begin--acknowledging Who God is and Who we are before Him. He is our Father, and so much more.

Hallowing our Father’s name encompasses more than simply worshiping or honoring Him; we are to know the One we worship. Jesus prayed in John 17, "this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." [John 17:3] The Greek word for "know" means far more than factual knowledge or understanding. It means "progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted." It indicates a continuing personal relationship, out of which comes our experience with the many facets of our Lord’s nature, His character, His person. Then we can truly hallow His name because we know what it represents.

Pray with me now--Father God, help us to be sensitive to the ways in which You reveal Yourself to us, that we may truly hallow Your name. In Jesus’s name, amen.

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