Yesterday I began discussing the Lord's Prayer by acknowledging that Jesus told us to call God "Father". This is significant for a multitude of reasons. This directive came from God's son and never appeared as a name for God until Jesus told us to use it in the New Testament. Today, I would like to talk about what follows.
"Hallowed be thy name". "Hallowed" is the past participle of the verb "hallow" which can be traced back to "halig", Old English for holy. So, Jesus is telling us that our Father's name is holy. If we are using the Lord's Prayer as a model for HOW to pray, then we must acknowledge that our Father is holy in our greeting. Regardless whether we say "hallowed be thy name" or "Your name is holy, Father.". It is clearly important to recognize the magnitude of His name.
The name of Jesus is powerful. Satan shakes in his being when that most precious name is spoken. Even when I googled "hallowed be thy name" a Black Sabbath song appeared at the top of the search. Oh, yes, Satan quivers when a believer says, "Father, hallowed be thy name" in whatever words we choose. All the more reason to follow Jesus' suggestion in the Lord's Prayer. Honoring our Father as holy is crucial. So, including this part of the prayer reinforces our belief that our God is holy, our Jesus is holy, and our Father is holy. Remember this in your prayers!