When we repeat the familiar, we tend to forget the significance of the words. At my church, we recite the Lord’s Prayer on a regular basis and I find this has happened to me. Perhaps you, too, have heard the Lord’s Prayer so often that you have not really paid any attention to the words.
As I began to intentionally think on the words, I was struck by the phrase “Hallowed be your name.” God is holy, and when we recite the Lord’s Prayer, we are acknowledging that God’s holiness is our utmost priority — yet I don’t see much of that going on around me.
I’ve noticed that a lot of “Christians” act like part-time ones, treating God as wonderful whenever it pleases them and then desecrating His name and holiness by blatantly cussing or purposely engaging in sin. The two differing attitudes towards God are not compatible. If God is holy and to be revered, engaging in sin is not something we need to be participating in, no matter how big or small we think it is.
Jesus taught us to pray the Lord's Prayer for a reason. It’s not just a repetitious prayer found in the Bible. Rather, it should be a way of living. It is our guide to show us how we should behave every day, not just on Sunday in church. We need to be mindful that, because God is holy, we need to pursue holiness as well ― in our thoughts, actions, and words, by learning to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit daily.
Dear Lord, please open our eyes to the areas in our life that are displeasing to you. Help us to be holy, as you would want us to be. Amen.
Go Deeper — Trying to live a godly life is hard. Take the time to sit down and think about some of the things you do that are not pleasing and holy to God and determine to eliminate them from your life one by one, asking for the Holy Spirit to guide you.
Photo Credit: Vincent Guth