By Michael Koontz
Pastor, Pine Ridge Baptist Church, Harriman
Focal Passage: Matthew 6:9b; Psalm 96:1-9
As we start in Matthew 6:9b today, our text brings us to a subject that we once again do not put much thought into. This Lord’s Prayer or Disciple’s Prayer as it is sometimes called, is given to us as children to memorize. We see it used by teams or organizations as a group prayer (which is not its intended use). But as we study this prayer piece by piece we see tremendous depth in it. How often do we think about this final phrase of Matthew 6:9? What does it mean to hallow the name of God?
A name is special. My son is named after two men who had a tremendous impact on my life. So, before our son was born, we had to think about the name we would give our child. We had to pick out names for a boy and a girl because we didn’t know what God would bless us with. Timothy and Joe, two men who are not perfect, but their names would become the name of my son. To this day, my son reminds me of those two men often and there is great meaning to me in the name. I think about the positive aspects in each of their lives.
The names of God are above every other name and more precious than any earthly name. Why? A couple reasons are: God first loved us (I John 4:19) and gave His perfect Son to be our Savior (John 3:16).
Michael Koontz
Throughout the day I should be mindful of my God’s great love for me. Do a study on the names of God and you are reminded of the various aspects of our God: He is the Most High God; the God who sees, hears, and cares; the covenant keeping God; God Almighty; and many more.
The name of God must be hallowed, it must be kept holy, it must be honored. Hallowed is to be set apart. There is no one like our God. He alone is the Most High God who created all things and holds everything together. His holiness sets Him apart and above ourselves and all of His creation.
As we address Him in prayer, we do so with great reverence. God is not ‘the man upstairs’ or ‘the big guy’. I know some people refer to God in that way, but it’s not cor-rect. I’ve never seen anyone walk up to the Queen of England and greet her with a high five or a fist bump, (if you don’t know what a fist bump is, ask your children’s Sunday School class). No one would do that because she is the Queen, and we respect her position. We must teach and learn how to revere God’s name.
Martin Luther said: “How is God’s name hallowed among us? When both our life and doctrine are truly Christian.” We can study the doctrines and have great statements of faith, but does my life validate what I profess?
Our daily walk is a positive or negative testimony. God wants to use your life to draw people to Him. Isn’t that exciting? Love others to Jesus! B&R
