Today, in this series on the Lord’s Prayer, we are looking at: Hallowed be your name.
In the Bible ‘name‘ is a synonym for ‘nature’. When you talk about God’s name (Hallowed be your name; may your name be held holy; The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!), the background of this idea is God’s nature – the nature of God.
In the Bible, God’s name, God’s nature is the Hebrew verb to be: I am who I am; I was who I will be; I will be who I was – and so on (Ex 3:13-14). God is the verb to be; that is God’s name – God’s nature. God is not a being – God is being.
I’m sure we can press that further. Just as being, existence, isn’t an attribute of God – God doesn’t ‘have‘ existence – God IS; so similarly goodness is not an attribute of God – God doesn’t merely have goodness. God is goodness. God is good. Good is God’s name, God’s nature.
Compassion, beauty, truth, love – God is love – these are not merely attributes of God; these are not just something God has – this is God’s name. This is God’s nature.
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe! The hallowing of compassion echo through the universe! The hallowing of truth echo through the universe! The hallowing of goodness, beauty, meaning echo through the universe!
We so often ask, “What do you want to be?” Remember, wherever you go – there you are. Silly statement, some of you think; obvious statement. Maybe. Wherever you go; whatever you do – there you are. You cannot escape from yourself. So – you’d better like yourself. You’d better be the sort of person that you would like to spend the rest of your life with. Because you will.
Don’t worry too much about what you want to do. But be far, far more concerned about what you want to be.
Your nature; what sort of person do you want to be? Who do you want to become? Who do you want to be?
I think, when most people are honest, the sort of person they want to spend the rest of their life with is a person of beauty, truth, love, compassion, meaning, a person echoing God’s nature, God’s name, hallowing God’s name. That’s the sort of person, most people, when they are honest with themselves, that they really want to be.
That’s our cry. That’s our plea. That’s our hope. Every day: The hallowing of your name, your nature, O God, echo through the universe! May your name, your nature, O God, be held holy. Hallowed be your name.
Starting with me.
This is the fifth post on the Lord’s Prayer;
the first is Lord, Teach Us to Pray
the second is Our Father
the third is Our Father (part 2)
the fourth is Our Father (part 3)
