In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Matthew 6:9

The last phrase of verse 9, “Hallowed be Your name,” has been understood on two ways. I believe they both have great value.

First, we do well to begin our prayers worshipfully, remembering who it is to whom we are speaking: God, who alone is infinitely holy.

The word hallowed is a form of the word holy. God is no more any of His attributes than any other of His attributes. He is not a composite of His attributes that make up a whole God. No, He is 100% of every one of His attributes. However, as RC Sproul frequently taught, the attribute of God that most perfectly describes every other of His attributes is His holiness. So by beginning prayer with worshiping God for who He is, a great place to start is by glorifying God for His holiness.

That does not preclude worshiping God for His other attributes, however. If you are unsure of God’s attributes, a great place to learn is by reading A.W. Tozer’s, “The Knowledge of the Holy.” This book is a great place to begin because it is not long (117 pages), and it is divided into twenty-two short readable chapters. It guides readers on a life-changing adventure into a number of God’s attributes. Note that there are many more attributes of God that are not included in this book.

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BTW: My favorite attribute of God on which I often meditate is God’s self-existence, or aseity.

Next time we’ll consider the other equally true understanding of this opening phrase.