How Can We Hallow God's Name?

The Lord reigns; hallowing Him means we live accordingly in this world whose days are evil (Ephesians 5:16). Making reverence for God our first and foremost concern is to align with the truth of who He is according to Scripture, which cannot be bound (2 Timothy 2:9).

Seemingly everywhere we turn, there exists temptation to serve self instead of the living God. But we must not, because only God is good (Mark 10:18). The end of our lives, decisions, and actions must be—prior to all other concerns—the glory of God. In light of God’s worthiness to be honored in all things, we can see clearly enough to abandon lesser cares that either do not serve or do not agree with God’s glory.

Only our great God deserves our ultimate hallowing, for “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised” (Psalm 145:3). And He deserves true praise in all places of this world and of our lives, “From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!” (Psalm 113:3).

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name—in our minds, hearts, activities, priorities, and mission. We elevate our minds to You, that through You, we may see clearly enough to proceed to the rest of our prayers and to the rest of our days as the holy people of Your very own possession (1 Peter 2:9).

Augustine of Hippo. Commentary on the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount with Seventeen Related Sermons. Edited by Hermigild Dressler. Translated by Denis J. Kavanagh. Vol. 11. The Fathers of the Church. Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 1951. 127

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Great Doctrines of the Bible, Volume 1: God the Father, God the Son. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1996), 57.

Haroutunian, Joseph, and Louise Pettibone Smith. Calvin: Commentaries. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1958. 286

Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994.

Schaff, Philip, ed. Saint Chrysostom: Homilies on the Gospel of Saint Matthew. Vol. 10. A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series. New York: Christian Literature Company, 1888. Page 134

Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Zondervan, Kindle Edition), 157.

More from this author
Does Theological Tradition Matter for Bible Reading?

Photo credit: Unsplash/Nathan Dumlao

Lianna Davis is author of Keeping the Faith: A Study in Jude and Made for a Different Land: Eternal Hope for Baby Loss. She is also a contributor to We Evangelicals and Our Mission with Cascade Books. Lianna is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute and a student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. She lives in Illinois with her husband and daughter. You can learn more about her writing at her website.