Hollowed Be Thy Name

“Our Father which art in heaven hollowed be thy name” Matt.6:9 KJV

I have often wandered just exactly what hollowed be thy name meant. The commentators usually come up with something like this, “To hallow something is to make it holy or separate it or sanctify it.” Whatever. That’s not helpful, of course He is separate or in a class of his own and or course he is holy.  Well okay lets just go with that, make it holy. but why?

Finally I went to the highest authority I could think of, God, and asked him what it means, and this is what he revealed to me. Now I am sure this is just a partial revelation and that undoubtedly there is more but this is what I got.

Firstly we hollow his name because he is good. That may sound sophmore-ish but lets think about that for a moment. Imagine our Creator God was not a good God, that perhaps there is a little bit of questionableness about his character. Is he mad at us ? Is he intolerant of our imperfections? Does he does not care for our company? Is he indifferent to what is going on in our lives and on this planet?

The answer to all these doubts is no, no, no. He is perfectly good, through and through good with no shadow of turning, no exceptions. Jesus said in Matt.19:17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God…” So there you have it from the mouth of Jesus himself, God is good and that is good news for us, that gives us hope because we are dealing with a good God, a very very good God.

King David, when he brought the art of the covenant back to Jerusalem he instructed the singers to sing, “Oh give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His mercy endures forever.” This they sang I suppose as a chant over and over again and this became a tradition in Israel’s worship.

This has to be hammered into our heads because we are prone to have ill thoughts about God. Think back our your own pitiful life, how many times did you think secretly or even openly “why did God do that? Or why did God allow that to happen?” Why did you ask those questions? It is because you doubted His goodness. He is good, don’t doubt that.

Secondly we hollow his name because He is love. 1John 4:16 says, God is love. Infinite love, a love that is never ending and is as pure as pure can be. The kind of love that would satisfy a fella or a fella-ette for all of eternity.

Then thirdly we hollow His name because this good and loving God loves us. Now that is truly good news, as a matter of fact what better news could we receive from the courts of heaven than that. He is good, he is love, and he loves me and you. Now we are talking. Now we are getting somewhere. Lets get it on.

This opens the door for us to have a relationship with Him. We now know that:

1. He is a person (remember we address him as Father)
2. He is good. James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. 
3. He is love. 1John 4:16 God is love
4. He loves us, me and you. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

With all of that in mind let us hallow his name for we are most certainly the lucky ones (if I may use that language) because we are the object of Infinite Love. It does not get any better than that. Some day (after you leave this planet) you will become like a little drop of rain falling into a vast infinite ocean of love and when that happens you will dissolve somewhat and become part of that ocean. You will become lost in His love though you will never lose your identity, you will always be you and at the same time you will lose your self awareness. The me, me, me part of you will be gone. Your thoughts will only be about God’s wonderful love for you and you will be thinking a lot about others.

So the next time you pray, “hallowed be thy name” lift up your eyes to heaven and thank our heavenly Father that he is good, that he is loving, and that he loves me and you.

Next up, “thy kingdom come”