Hallowed Be Thy Name

Posted on by Ps JJ Lim

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Catechetical sermons preached in PCC Evening Worship Services, Feb 2013 to Dec 2017

WSC 101 of 107

…Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name

Matthew 6:9

WSC 101. What do we pray for in the first petition?

A. In the first petition (which is, Hallowed be thy name1) we pray, That God would enable us and others to glorify him in all that whereby he maketh himself known;2 and that he would dispose all things to his own glory.3

1 Mt 6:9; 2 Ps 67:2,3; 3 Ps 83.

We have been delving into the Scripture texts that form the basis of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. We are nearing the end and have entered into a study of what is commonly known as the Lord’s Prayer. This prayer is essentially a sample prayer or pattern our Lord used to teach His disciples how to pray.

It is structured into a preface, six petitions, and a conclusion. In our previous study, we explored the preface, which is “Our Father which art in heaven.” We saw how it teaches us to “pray with and for others.” and “to draw near to God with all holy reverence and confidence, as children to a father, able and ready to help us” (WSC 100).

In this continuing study, with the Lord helping us, we want to begin to look at the six petitions. Like the Ten Commandments, these six petitions can be divided into two. The first three petitions are primarily about God. The last three petitions are primarily about us. The first petition is: “Hallowed be thy name.”

Now, the word ‘hallowed’ means to “make holy” or “sanctify.” But what does that mean? Actually, the word in Greek is fascinating. It is the word ἁγιάζω (hagiozō), which is derived from combining the alpha-negative and the word γη (gē), which means “the earth.” So the word ἁγιάζω (hagiozō) literally means “to make less earthly” or, in other words, “to make transcendent” or at least, “to make more heavenly.” To make something holy is to set it apart from earthly purposes and uses.

Thus, in the Scriptures, it is frequently used to describe the consecration of things or persons to a holy use. We think of the Levites, firstborn, tabernacle, temple, and their utensils, the sacrifices, etc. All these were set apart from earthly, common, or profane use and dedicated wholly to the service of God.

But what does it mean to hallow God’s name? God is, of course, already holy. In fact, He is transcendently holy, for He is entirely outside of creation. As Solomon puts it, “Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain [Him]” (1 Kgs 8:27), for the heaven and the heaven of heavens are part of creation.

Perhaps for this reason, the Lord does not teach us to pray “Hallowed be thyself,” but instead, “Hallowed be thy name.”

You see, the “name of God” does not only refer to the terms we use to refer to Him, such as ‘God’, ‘Father’, ‘Jehovah’, or ‘Lord.’ When the Bible speaks about God’s name, it usually refers to “God’s self-revelation in its manifold fullness.”1

Or, as question 54 of our Shorter Catechism puts it, it refers to the “titles,  attributes,  ordinances,  word and works [i.e. creation and providence]” of God. Or, as question 55 has it, it refers to “anything whereby God maketh Himself known.”

So when we pray “Hallowed be thy name,” we are praying that all things whereby God makes Himself known may be recognised for what they are, namely, things appointed to display God’s glory.

Simply stated, when we pray “Hallowed be thy name,” we are praying “Lord, glorify Thy thyself in the eyes of all Thy creatures.”

Thus, our Shorter Catechism, Q. 101, asks, “What do we pray for in the first petition?”

Answer:

In the first petition (which is, Hallowed be thy name) we pray, That God would enable us and others to glorify him in all that whereby he maketh himself known; and that he would dispose all things to his own glory.

With this in mind, we may expand the petition “Hallowed be thy name” into three sub-petitions:

a.  Glorify Thyself by Thy works

b. Enable us and others to see Thy glory

c.  Enable us and others to glorify Thee

1. Glorify Thyself by Thy Works

So in the first place, when we pray “hallowed be thy name,” we are praying—in the words of our catechism—“that [God] would dispose all things to his own glory.”

Or more fully, that God will, by His wisdom and mighty power, cause all things in the world to redound to His own glory.

God is the creator of all things. He has made all things for the purpose of displaying His glory. God is the governor of all things. He brings all things to pass to the end that His glory may be displayed. The created universe and its progress in history is, as it were, a massive display. It is a display of the wisdom, power, goodness and majesty of God.

The Psalmist says:

O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!  who hast set thy glory above the heavens

Ps 8:1

The twenty-four elders who sit before the throne of God cry out day and night:

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created

Rev 4:11

God has created all things for His own glory, and He is perfectly capable of directing everything in the universe so that glory redounds to His name.

But God is pleased when His children come before Him, desiring that He glorifies Himself by all the things by which He reveals Himself.

This is because only when we begin to pray, “Father, glorify thyself,” will we begin to understand who God is and who we are.

Let me put it this way: When we say that the universe and its history are a massive exhibition by God to display His majesty, what is your reaction? Do you question in your heart: Why does God need to do so? Why does He need to magnify Himself? Isn’t that pride and self-praise?

Or do you rejoice that God is doing so, knowing He does not need to magnify Himself?

Well, beloved brethren, you have not begun to understand who you are if you still question why God needs to glorify Himself. As creatures of dust owing our very existence to God, we can think of nothing but rejoice that God is displaying His glory. And we will desire to see Him magnified, so we pray that He will order all things for His own glory.

God is surely pleased when His children exalt His name by asking Him to magnify it.

So, daily, we pray that God will glorify Himself.

We look at the events of the world, including the terrible disasters and human tragedies, and we pray, “Lord glorify Thyself!”

We look at our lives and the troubles and pain we suffer. We may not understand why we must go through these trials, but we do not pray: “Lord, why? Why so unfair?” We pray, instead, “Lord, Thou doeth well! Glorify Thyself even in my trial!”

But as we desire God to glorify Himself, so we also desire that we may be enabled to see His glory. So when we pray, “Hallowed be thy name,” we are also praying that God will enable us and others to see His glory.

2. Enable Us and Others to See Thy Glory

That is, “Lord, please enable us and others to see Thy glory in all that whereby Thou maketh Thyself known.”

We are, by nature, spiritually blind.

Because of our natural blindness, we do not see God’s glory in creation as we should. Creation displays God’s glory so clearly that we have no excuse, yet we suppress the truth and refuse to acknowledge His greatness.

Likewise, we do not appreciate God’s appointed ordinances as we should. We should highly esteem His Word, but do we? We should rejoice in the church and the means of grace He has appointed for us to fellowship with Him, but do we?

If we were left to ourselves, we would go through life like a goose walking through an art gallery—not interested in anything except what looks edible.

This, surely, is unacceptable to the child of God. The child of God desires to explore his Father’s world and to appreciate and understand all that his Father has done and is doing so that he may rejoice with his Father.

When we pray, “Hallowed be thy name,” we essentially acknowledge our ignorance and the dimness of our eyes and ask God to help us and others see and appreciate what He is doing.

So let us learn to pray more specifically:

  • “Lord, help me to see how this disaster will redound to thy glory. And cause others also to see that you have not lost control.”
  • “Help me to see how this trial will do good to my soul and bring glory to Thy name.”
  • “Grant that we may appreciate Thy Word more so that we may rejoice in Thy greatness.”
  • “Enable Thy minister to preach in such a way that Thy name may be glorified in our eyes and in the ears of all who hear.”
  • “By thy Spirit stir our hearts so that we may enjoy the Lord’s Supper and experience it not as a mechanical exercise but as a means by which our hearts are strangely warmed to Thy love.”
  • “Father, this exercise of church discipline is deeply painful to us, but open our eyes and the eyes of all who behold to see that these things are not only necessary but  appointed for our good.”

So then, “Hallowed be thy name” teaches us not only to pray “Lord, Glorify thyself,” but “Lord, open my eyes to see thy glory through all that whereby Thou maketh Thyself known.”

Thirdly, as we are also powerless to glorify God by our own strength, when we pray, “Hallowed be thy name,” we are also praying that God will enable us and others to glorify Him.

3. Enable Us and Others to Glorify Thee

That is: “Lord, please enable us and others to glorify Thee in all that whereby Thou maketh Thyself known.”

God is glorifying Himself by ordering all things to work together not only for the good of His children, but also for His own glory.

Since God is ordering all things, including all our actions, we know that we will glorify God even without trying. Even our sinful actions will work together for the glory of God. “The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil” (Prov 16:4). “Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain” (Ps 76:10). The reprobate, or vessel of wrath, will display the glory of God too by showing His infinite justice in punishing sin. And they will serve to highlight the riches of His mercy towards His children.

But as the children of God, we must desire to glorify God actively and deliberately!

So, when we pray, “Hallowed be thy name,” we are also asking God to “enable us and others to glorify him in all that whereby he maketh himself known.”

Or more specifically, by the words “Hallowed be thy name,” our Lord is teaching us to pray:

  • “Father, as Thou hast made us in Thy image in knowledge, righteousness and holiness, so renew us more and more in these attributes that we may by our lives reflect Thy glory.”
  • “Increase our faith and love for thee so that we may magnify thy name by walking according to Thy Word and living in gratitude to Christ.”
  • “Keeping us from losing our saltiness and hiding our light under the bushel.”
  • “Remove any doubt, ignorance and idolatry from our hearts. Enable us to suppress every rising evil. Regulate our tempers by thy grace and Spirit so that our inner life may also glorify Thee.”
  • “Set a guard over our lips, so that our speech may be seasoned with grace and always edifying so as to glorify Thee in those we speak to.”
  • “Remind us by Thy Spirit that whatever we find to do in our life, we may do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to Thee by Him.”
  • “Give us the strength, wisdom and tenacity to train up our children in the discipline and admonition of Thy Son.”
  • “As thou art most greatly glorified when Thy children worship thee with sincerity in public, so order Thy providence so that we may not be hindered from coming to worship.”
  • “So order the circumstances around our lives so that we may best be used as Thy witnesses amongst our friends and relatives.”
  • “Use this church as an instrument to draw other sheep Thou hast so that we may all join our voices together to praise Thy holy name.”

Conclusion

What do we pray for in the first petition?

Answer:

In the first petition (which is, Hallowed be thy name) we pray, That God would enable us and others to glorify him in all that whereby he maketh himself known; and that he would dispose all things to his own glory

WSC 101

In other words, the first petition teaches us to petition God: (1) to glorify Himself in all things whereby He makes Himself known; (2) to enable us and others to see His glory in all whereby He makes Himself known; and (3) to enable us and others to manifest His glory to the world.

Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. It is no wonder that our Lord teaches us to desire God’s glory above everything else by making it our first petition: “Hallowed be thy name.”

Beloved brethren, let us learn to pray “hallowed be thy name” before we ask for anything else. Amen.

 —JJ Lim

  1. Johannes G. Vos, The Westminster Larger Catechism: A Commentary [P&R, 2002], 302. ↩︎

Edited by: LPS