ASSIGNMENT:
The following is taken from Hosea 11:1 ff (some portions have been eliminated for the purpose of our discussion): When Israel was a youth, I loved him and out of Egypt I called my son. But the more I called, the further they went from me…I taught Ephraim(Israel) to walk, taking them by the arms, I healed them, bent down to feed them … My people are determined to turn from Me. How will I give you up Ephraim, How can I hand you over Israel?(adapted from the New American Standard translation)
We who are parents may be able to identify with the longing God expresses here in Hosea (especially if our children no longer need us as they once did – or if our relationship is strained in some way). As our children grow up (and perhaps away from us), we remember earlier and perhaps better days. We remember when they were dependant on us; we remember feeding them as babies, teaching them to walk, to ride a bicycle; we remember how they came to us with all their hurts.
In this passage from Hosea, we get a glimpse into our Heavenly Father’s heart – and we can hear His anguish as He says, How can I possibly give you up?
As you spend some time today with Our Father, meditate on what His name means to you personally. Consider the longing He has expressed for His children. Allow Him to comfort you as a loving Father comforts His children.
Hallowed be Your name
We now turn our attention to the first petition of the Lord’s Prayer from Matthew 6. The word hallowed means “to make or declare holy.”
1. What do you think is implied here? How do we make God holy (hallowed)?
Tony Ash, Pray Always, says there is a request implied here. As Christians pray, we are asking God to help us live His holiness through our lives.
Read Exodus 20:1-7. As God delivered His laws to Moses and the Israelites on Mount Sinai, He first addressed the matter of His honor in the first 3 commandments. As Jesus taught the disciples how to pray, the very first petition was about honoring God.
2. There are many ways we may dishonor God’s name. In our culture’s speech, His name is commonly misused (taken in vain). Even those of us who revere God’s name and wish to keep it holy, must guard against the language of the world slipping into our vocabulary. As we pray, hallowed be Your name, we might ask our Father to keep us from taking His name in vain.
Psalm 141:3 reads: Set a guard over my mouth O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.
(We probably all need to memorize this verse!)
3. Can you think of ways we dishonor God and misuse His name other than by cursing, swearing, etc?
As you pray today, “be still (cease striving)” and allow yourself to be a child in your Heavenly Father’s arms. After that time of stillness, envision Him in all His glory, this may be a good time to kneel (or remove your shoes as Moses did at the bush) and hallow His great and glorious name.
Suggested reading: Psalm 36:5-9
Blessed be the name of our Lord!
