The Lord’s Prayer – Hallowed Be Your Name

Are you like me? Do you recite the Lord’s Prayer in such a way that you only hone in on certain parts of it at times? Like me, you may recite a word and not stop and take in its meaning or why our Lord Jesus used it in the first place. Today, I want to make sure we don’t skip over one word in particular.

What word am I talking about today?

It’s ‘hallowed.’

Harry Potter fans will be familiar with the word ‘hallows.’ The final book of the series is entitled “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” Sorry, I haven’t read one book in the series. Why not? Well, nothing against the books, they  just haven’t been high on  my priority list of reading. Yet I confess, I was curious to know why Ms. Rowling chose ‘hallows.’

In the Lord’s Prayer though, we find hallowed in this refrain…

If you go to any on-line dictionary, you’ll find the same, basic definition. Hallow means to make or set apart as holy; to respect and honor greatly. To revere. 

However if you go to a Greek lexicon dictionary, you’ll discover a meaning with even more depth and more reverence. Hallow comes from the word hagiazō. Hagiazō means to separate from profane things and to dedicate oneself, one’s life, one’s family, one’s friends and one’s things to God. Hagiazō means to purify and be cleansed externally and to be cleansed internally. To be cleansed internally meant that the soul would be renewed and purified.

Let that settle in our minds for a moment. As we recite this refrain of the Lord’s prayer and pray “Hallowed be your name,” not only are we acknowledging our Father in heaven as holy, separate and pure, but we are also allowing Him to separate us, purify us, and renew us in His presence through the power of His Spirit and His name.

But which name? Our God has many names. According to the Greek Lexicon Dictionary, name comes from the Greek word, onoma. Now, check out this word! This ‘name’ or ‘onama’ is used for everything which the name represents; every thought or feeling or experience which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, and remembering the name. So when we consider God, we too, have thoughts, feelings, expectations, experiences and needs that surface when we hear His name.

Let’s pause then and consider the names of God along with their meanings and some references in Scripture if you are interested.

Elohim                                     Our Creator                                        
Genesis 1:1

El Elyon                                  The Most High                                   
Genesis 14: 18-20

Jehovah Tsidkenu                 The Lord Our Righteousness             
Jeremiah 23:6

Jehovah Jireh                           The Lord Will Provide                       
Genesis 22:14

Jehovah Raah                          The Lord My Shepherd                     
Psalm 23:1

Jehovah Shalom                      The Lord Send Peace                         
Judges 6:24

Jehovah Nissi                          The Lord My Banner                         
Exodus 17:15

Jehovah Rapha                        The Lord My Healer                          
Exodus 15:26

Jehovah Shammah                  The Lord is There                               
Ezekiel 48:35 

When we say “Hallowed be your Name” all of these names and their meanings and more are acknowledged. Think of it this way, we are praying with more honor, reverence, purity and power than we realize!

That’s why I’m taking my time to go through this prayer a bit at a time. I want to really take in what this prayer is about. Jesus gave this gift to us when He said, “This is how you should pray. This is what it’s all about. This is what matters most.”

“Hallowed be your name” not only shows reverence to our God, but it allows us to be renewed internally and purified externally as we pray in His presence. It causes us to pause and consider that we are entering the Holy Sanctuary of Our Creator, The Most High, our Righteous God, our Provider, our Shepherd, our Peace, our Banner, our Healer, our Present God.