As we continue our focus on keeping God’s name holy, we will consider two other related phrases.
1. The first one is for His name’s sake. I “Googled” that phrase and printed three pages of scriptures that contain this and/or similar expressions.
Today our reading assignment is lengthy – but there are blessings in that reading as you hear what God says to Ezekiel – and to us.
ASSIGNMENT:
Read Ezekiel 20 (yes, the entire chapter!).
Notice especially the following statements (we found it helpful to underline):
For My names’ sake
You will know that I am the Lord
I did what I did…(to keep My name from being profaned in the eyes of the nation); this sentiment is expressed several times – not always with the same wording.
In the first section – verses 1 – 39 – God describes Israel’s rebellion as He “poured out His wrath on them …. for the sake of His name.” Notice verse 33 and following as God says that He will gather you from the nations… Everything God did/does: the initial call to be His people, the blessings, the discipline, the re-gathering is all ___ ____ _______ ________ and so that all people will know that ____ ____ _____ ______ (since translations vary, you may not find the precise phrase that fits in these blanks; therefore feel free to use your own words as you complete these thoughts.)
2. The second phrase we will consider is in Jesus’ name we pray (a traditional closing for many of our prayers).
We do not find this exact phrase in the New Testament, but the truth it expresses is evident in many passages, as in:
Acts 4:30, Rom. 1:8, and Rom. 16:27, and others.
Paul told the Colossians (in 3:17): And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. I believe Paul is referring to more than a perfunctory “In Jesus’ name we pray.”
We need to be careful about tacking on any memorized phrase to our prayers out of habit. As we learn to be more mindful in our praying, we may find that changing up the wording of our usual closing in our prayers may help us be more mindful of the blessing Jesus secured for us as He gave Himself on the cross. It would certainly be appropriate to include an expression of gratitude at the beginning of our prayers – as we recognize that it is only through the blood of Jesus that we have access to our Father.
It would be good to remind ourselves of the temple curtain that was torn as Jesus died. For generations that temple veil had been a symbolic reminder to every praying Jew that his sin separated him from God. The tearing of that curtain ushered in a new era – now we can enter the presence of our Heavenly Father with confidence because of the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus.
Recently in our ladies’ class that meets at the building, one of our sisters read the final verse of Paul’s letter to the Romans as she closed our time of intercessory prayer. Rom. 16:27 reads:
…. to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ. Amen
As we close our study on Our Father, hallowed be Your name, we want to leave you with the following thoughts to consider:
We have read several passages over the last couple weeks that have described God’s longing for His children. When we distance ourselves from God and are not mindful of the blessing of our Father/child relationship … consider how He must long for us also.
As we attempt to better understand how we can hallow our Father’s name (when we pray and as we live), consider this: Everything is subordinate to His name, His kingdom, His will. As it becomes more and more our desire to honor Our Father, we will grow to the point that we will go to any length to protect the holiness of His name – even to the point of bringing reproach on our own name and reputation (see what David says about his attitude in Ps. 69:6-9)
May we practice coming into His presence mindfully, pause for a moment and with all our hearts, say to Him, Our Father, hallowed be Your name!
Lord, teach us to pray!
