A Hallowed Name

[Daily Devotional]

A Hallowed Name 

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Matt. 6: 9. 

To hallow the name of the Lord requires that the words in which we speak of
the Supreme Being be uttered with reverence. "Holy and reverend is his name"
(Ps. 111: 9). We are never in any manner to treat lightly the titles or
appellations of the Deity. In prayer we enter the audience chamber of the
Most High; and we should come before Him with holy awe. The angels veil
their faces in His presence. The cherubim and the bright and holy seraphim
approach His throne with solemn reverence. How much more should we, finite,
sinful beings, come in a reverent manner before the Lord, our Maker! 

But to hallow the name of the Lord means much more than this. We may, like
the Jews in Christ's day, manifest the greatest outward reverence for God,
and yet profane His name continually. "The name of the Lord" is "merciful
and gracious, long- suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, . . .
forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin" (Ex. 34: 5- 7). Of the church
of Christ it is written, "This is the name wherewith she shall be called,
The Lord our Righteousness" (Jer. 33: 16). This name is put upon every
follower of Christ. It is the heritage of the child of God. The family are
called after the Father. The prophet Jeremiah, in the time of Israel's sore
distress and tribulation, prayed, "We are called by thy name; leave us not"
(Jer. 14: 9). 

This name is hallowed by the angels of heaven, by the inhabitants of
unfallen worlds. When you pray, "Hallowed be thy name," you ask that it may
be hallowed in this world, hallowed in you. God has acknowledged you before
men and angels as His child; pray that you may do no dishonor to the "worthy
name by which ye are called" (James 2: 7). God sends you into the world as
His representatives. In every act of life you are to make manifest the name
of God. This petition calls upon you to possess His character. You cannot
hallow His name, you cannot represent Him to the world, unless in life and
character you represent the very life and character of God. This you can do
only through the acceptance of the grace and righteousness of Christ. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 93