A Paraphrase on the Lord’s Prayer, in Scripture Expressions
2. Hallowed be Your Name
And now, what is our wish? What is our request? (Esther 5:6) What do we want You to do for us? (Matt 20:32) This is our heart’s desire and prayer in the first place: (Rom 10:1) Father in heaven, let Your name be sanctified. We pray that you may be glorified as a holy God. (Lev 10:3)
We desire to exalt the LORD our God, to worship at his footstool, (Psa 99:5) at his holy mountain; to praise his great and awesome name, (Psa 99:3) for it is holy, for the LORD our God is holy. (Psa 99:9) You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. (Psa 22:3)
We glory in Your holy name (and therefore shall our hearts rejoice), (Psa 105:3) because we have trusted in Your holy name, (Psa 33:21) to which we will always give thanks, and glory in Your praise. (Psa 106:47)
Lord, enable us to glorify Your holy name forever, by giving thanks to You with our whole heart, (Psa 86:12) and by bearing much fruit, for by this is our heavenly Father glorified. (John 15:8) O that we might be for God a name, a praise, and a glory, (Jer 13:11) that being called out of darkness into his marvellous light to be to him a people for his own possession, we may proclaim the excellencies of him who has called us. (1 Pet 2:9)
O that we may be Your children, the work of Your hands, that we may sanctify Your name and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and stand in awe of the God of Israel; (Isa 29:23) and that we may be to the praise of his glory. (Eph 1:12)
Enable us as we have received gifts, so to use them to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace – in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. (1 Pet 4:10-11) And if we suffer, enable us to suffer as Christians and to glorify God in that name; (1 Pet 4:16) for this is our eager expectation and hope: that always Jesus Christ may be honoured in our bodies, in life and death. (Phil 1:20)
[…to be continued over the next weeks. DV]
- from Matthew Henry’s Method of Prayer