I’m sure that for many of us the Lord’s Prayer is very familiar, such that we can recite it from memory. It means that it’s easy to become over-familiar with the words. Coming straight after the introductory ‘Our Father in heaven’, the phrase ‘hallowed be your name’ can feel more like part of a greeting.

In fact, it is probably the most important part of the prayer, providing a foundation for the rest.

So what’s in a name?

On my first day at ICL, I stopped at the security barrier on my way in. The security guard came and asked who I was. I explained that this was my first day. ”So you’re a bit of a nobody at the moment. What’s your name?” “Mike Smith”. A broad grin crossed his face “Well with a name like that you really are a nobody!”. So much for my name!

God’s Name

His Character and His Reputation

But God’s name, throughout the Bible, is taken very seriously. His name is not simply a ‘label’, rather it is his character and his reputation. In the same way that we sometimes speak of someone having a ‘good name’. Everything he does is for the sake of his name. For instance, he saves us (Psalm 106:8), he forgives us (Psalm 25:11), he leads us (Psalm 31:3). He acts to protect the honour of his name (Ezekiel 20:9, 14 and 36:22, Daniel 9:19).

His name is exalted above everything else (along with his word) – Psalm 138:2.

And in this prayer, Jesus is saying that God’s name is to be hallowed, or treated as holy. Clearly, God’s name cannot be any more holy than it already is, so Jesus is not suggesting that his name becomes holy – rather that it becomes recognised and treated as such.

What does that mean?

Hallowed, or holy, means to be set apart. To say that God is holy is to say that he is set apart or distinct from us. There are two principal ways in which God is not the same as us.

Firstly, there is the creator/creature distinction. He is infinite, we are finite; He is unchangeable, we change; he is immortal, we are mortal; he is self-existent, we are dependent; and so on.

God has bridged this gap, in a sense, by making humanity in the image of God. So while there are these aspects of God that are beyond us, there are also those where we can be like God. We can love, communicate, be creative, and principally, commune with God and worship him. This is how we are made.

God is Holy

He is distinct from us

But there is a second distinction – pure/sinful. This came about as a result of the Fall which took all of mankind into a state of sin, breaking the fellowship with God and creating a gulf between us. 

That means we cannot approach God, we are under condemnation and, amongst many other things, we cannot be our true selves where we commune with and worship God. It is impossible for mankind to recover from this situation.

Again though, God has provided a ‘bridge’ by sending his Son as a human being to bear the consequences of our rebellion and make a way back to him. This is the core message of Christianity.

It is these two things that are the centre of worship in heaven – he created everything, and he redeemed a people for himself (Rev 4:11, Rev 5:9-13).

To say ‘hallowed be your name’ then is a statement of worship. It is to say that all the character, reputation and works of God (his name) are to be treated with the highest respect and honour (hallowed).

It follows that this has a significant impact on those who are called by his name. For instance, Jesus tells us that we can ask for anything ‘in his name’ (John 16:24). That’s not a magic formula to get whatever we want by reciting the right words. It means that we ask for those things that are in conformance to his name – his works and his character.

What we have so far in the Lord’s Prayer then is:

‘Our Father in heaven’ – a close relationship of trust in one who is in the highest place of authority.

‘Hallowed be your name’ – we recognise and worship the supremacy (or transcendence) of his being, character, and reputation.

More to come!