When our youngest was very small, I was in the hospital for surgery and talked often with the patient in the next bed. One day she said, “Do you realize you talk more about your little boy than your other two children?”
It was a wake-up for me and I thanked her for this mild rebuke. It helped me be more aware of how my conversation revealed my priorities and that priorities can easily be off-balance.
These days, I’m thinking about MacArthur’s focus on glorifying God. He does it well. Me? Not so well. I’ve concluded this is a matter of the heart. I cannot fake it, nor can I make it happen by practice. The words and actions must just flow out, much like the spontaneous devotion a mom gives to a little one.
It does help to say it in prayer. Jesus told His disciples, “Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name . . . .’” This illustrates the priority God should hold in my prayers. If I do that from the heart, it becomes a priority in other conversations. I cannot fake my prayers.
Today’s devotional points out that this model for prayer begins by exalting the Father, then requesting that the Father’s Kingdom come and His will be done. It concludes also with praise — making most of the prayer about the glory of God.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen (Matthew 6:9–13, last line added in some versions)
Christians know God is in heaven and exalted. Why do we need to say it? What is the point of praising Him, particularly when we come with heavy hearts and serious needs? For one thing, saying “Hallowed be Thy name” exalts the name of the Lord and sets a tone of worship and submission that is sustained throughout the prayer. I find that if I begin and end with what I want from God, I’m not in a frame of mind that thinks of His wisdom and power concerning my requests. With a focus on my needs and without praise for God, my assurance can easily go down the tube. How do I affirm that God hears and answers when all I can think of is what I want Him to do?
On the other hand, if I exalt His name and express love and reverence, my love and sense of trust expands. So does my anticipation about His answer to my prayers, and so does my desire to obey Him.
MacArthur points out that “Your name” is not about a title but about God Himself, the total of who He is. The ancient Hebrew people considered the name of God so sacred that they would not speak it, but that misses the point. Praising His name is about uplifting who He is, not just in words but glorifying Him from the heart.
Jesus said, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45) This says that what I treasure in my heart will show up in my speech, as if I didn’t already know it. That treasure could be a loved child, but it could also be a host of things other than the wonder of my heavenly Father.
The Bible affirms that God has been revealed in Jesus. He said, “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world . . .” (John 17:6). John 1:14 defines what that means:
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
This is why Jesus could say: “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father . . . . (John 14:9) Philip and all of humanity cannot see God, but we can see His Son and know His glory. Being focused on Jesus rather than on me, myself, and I means a far greater likelihood of glorifying Him. If this is not happening when I pray, it is not likely to happen in the rest of my life either.
Jesus, You are amazing. I’ve been purging unnecessary stuff from my home, and You are telling me to do the same with my mind. Like I decide the value of an item, or where it fits, or if it just gets in the way, I can do the same with inner stuff, like thoughts, preoccupations, ideas and plans. Grant me wisdom for purging my mind, but also fill it with Yourself. You are First — and I must think, talk and behave with that priority. Hallowed be Your name!
FOR THOUGHT: Read Romans 2:17-29. How did the Jews abuse the name of God? What does this suggest about my efforts to honor God’s name?
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