Hallowed Be Your Name
Journey Through the Lord's Prayer — Devotion 3 of 14
Matthew 6:9 — “hallowed be your name.”
Opening Reflection
Before Jesus teaches His disciples to ask for anything — bread, forgiveness, deliverance — He teaches them to ask for something first: that God's name be hallowed. This is not a request God needs granted for His own sake; His name is already holy. It is a request that shapes the one praying, aligning our hearts with what is already true before we bring our own needs into the conversation.
Taking a Devotional View
In Scripture, a name represents character, reputation, and presence — to hallow God's name is to treat His character as set apart, sacred, worthy of honor in thought, word, and life. The third commandment forbids taking God's name “in vain” (Exodus 20:7), and the psalmist prays, “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory” (Psalm 115:1). When we pray “hallowed be your name,” we are asking that God's reputation would be honored — in our own lives first, and then in the world around us.
This is a striking place to begin a prayer of petition. Jesus teaches us that longing for God's glory should come before longing for our own comfort. It is easy to treat prayer as a list of personal needs with worship as an afterthought; Jesus reverses the order. When God's name is truly hallowed in our hearts, our other requests take their proper place — important, but never ultimate. Everything we ask for in the rest of this prayer flows out of this first, God-centered request.
Key Thoughts & Takeaways
Key Thoughts
- “Hallowed be your name” is a request that God's holy character be honored, not a statement that needs to make Him holy.
- A name in Scripture represents character and reputation (Exodus 20:7; Psalm 115:1).
- Jesus places worship before petition, teaching us to seek God's glory before our own needs.
- This phrase shapes the heart of the one praying as much as it honors God.
Ask Yourself
- Does my prayer life begin with worship, or does it jump straight to requests?
- In what area of my life is God's name not currently being treated as holy by me?
- How would my prayers change if I genuinely longed for God's glory more than my own comfort?
- What would it look like this week for my life to “hallow” God's name before a watching world?
Father, may Your name be hallowed — first in my own heart, and then in every corner of my life that others can see. Forgive me for the times I have treated Your name carelessly or sought my own glory instead of Yours. Before I bring You my requests today, I bring You my worship. Let everything I ask for flow out of a heart that longs, above all else, for You to be honored. In Jesus' name, amen.