Watchman: Daily Devotional, “Hallowed Be Thy Name” (Matt. 6:9). Prayer Should Always Exalt God. Your Prayer Should Literally Begin and End With God

The Disciples’ Prayer exemplifies the importance that God should place on our prayers. Jesus began by extolling the Father, saying, “Hallowed be Thy name” (v. 9), and then asked for the Father’s kingdom to come and His will to be done (v. 10). He ended with a praise song: “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever, Amen” (v. 13). God is the beginning and finish of his prayer.

“Hallowed be Thy name” extols the Lord’s name and establishes a tone of reverence and surrender that is maintained throughout the prayer. Wherever God’s name is honored, He will be loved and worshipped, His kingdom will be joyfully expected, and His will will be obeyed.

“Thy name” refers to more than just a title like “God,” “Lord,” or “Jehovah.” It speaks about God and is a synthesis of all of His traits. The Hebrews revered God’s name so much that they refused to speak it, but they missed the point. They slandered His character and disregarded His word while diligently guarding the letters of His name. The name of God was blasphemed among the Gentiles as a result of them (Rom. 2:24).

“The nations will fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth, Thy splendor,” reads Psalm 102:15. The nations dread the embodiment of all that God is, not the letters of His name. “I displayed Thy name to the men whom Thou gavest Me,” Jesus begged (John 17:6). He accomplished this by exposing who God is. “The Word became flesh and lived among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only born from the Father, full of grace and truth,” John 1:14 states. “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father,” Jesus said to Philip (John 14:9). Jesus is the personification of everything that God is.

Recognizing God’s importance in your prayers entails acknowledging who He is and approaching Him with a reverent, humble attitude yielded to His will. As you do so, He will glorify His name through you.