Eld Chew Chong Kiat

The prayer that our Lord Jesus taught us to pray (Luke 11:1-4) can be divided into the preface, six petitions and a conclusion. The preface “Our Father which art in heaven” focuses on Whom we pray to. We are “to draw near to God with holy reverence and confidence, as children to a father, able and ready to help us and that we should pray with and for others.” (WSC Question 100) We pray to God most high, holy and mighty, therefore we draw near with fear; we pray to our Father, with child-like confidence and affection, and remember the brethren in prayer. Familiarity must not breed contempt when we pray to our heavenly Father.  

The first petition “Hallowed be Thy Name” is 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 Question 101)

God’s Name refers to all that God makes Himself known, and it includes God’s:

1. Titles, like LORD of hosts, Jehovah Jireh, Heavenly Father, etc.,
2. Attributes like omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, holy, etc.,
3. Words of the Scripture, every jot and tittle,
4. Works of creation, providence, redemption and judgement.

If mortal and sinful men deem their names to be important, how much more God’s! We are to meditate on His Name, and be inspired by it to believe and worship, and to defend, uphold, share and magnify it. How oft, when a child of God is fearful and weak, God’s Name reminds and strengthens him, leading to worship and testimony.

The word “hallowed” means made holy or sanctified. To hallow God’s Name means to make God’s Name to be revered and honoured. You can do so when you “sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and [be] ready always to [give] an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” (1 Peter 3:15)  In this prayer, we pray that God will enable us and other believers to do the same.

On the other hand, we know that God is jealous of His own name and will surely uphold and magnify it. His providence will dispose all things to work to His own glory and always for the good of His own elect (Roman 8:28). Even when men fail to glorify God’s Name, He will magnify His own name. Even from the very beginning – in His creation, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.” (Psalm 19:1)

When men seek to destroy and thwart God’s plan, God will dispose of men’s wickedness and their wrath for His own glory. The most poignant example is in the death of God the Son. Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, declared at Pentecost to the great crowd, “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain”. (Acts 2:22-23)  Note how Peter interposed the wicked actions of men with the sovereignty of God. Wicked men sought to destroy, but God fulfilled His glorious redemption plan, conceived in eternity past. God is not surprised by what men may do; what He allows to be done is what He had determined before to be done (Acts 4:26-28); although they did freely what they desired to do, and hence they were guilty of the murder of His Son. Our Saviour planned to give His life a ransom for us and shed His blood for the remission of our sins.

The way of the cross is prophesied, but how shall it be fulfilled? The marvel of all marvels is that God restrained the wrath of men in that their wrath praises the name of God because they fulfilled God’s perfect plan while they did what they desired (Psalm 76:10). Nothing will hinder God from fulfilling His decrees. God indeed can cause “all things [to] work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.” (Romans 8:28). Such is the power and unsearchable wisdom of God!

Has something “unfortunate” surprised or overtaken you? It is no accident! It is not a surprise to God. Be still and know that God is on the throne, He is not dead or asleep but will evermore work out all things for good to all His people whom He loves, that they may glorify Him. Whatever happens, God is still on the throne so let us hallow God’s Name. Like Job, let us submit to Him and say, “...blessed be the name of the LORD.....Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” (Job 1:21b, 13:15)

Let us seek to glorify God in all we do. To be the light in the world is to shine for Christ through our works and words. We are to put on Christ that men may see Christ. We seek not our glory and name, but that the Name of God may be hallowed through us. When we deny self and are obedient to the words of God, we are putting on Christ. When we submit to His will cheerfully and fulfil them, we glorify God. When we are transformed by the power of God, and share Christ, we magnify the name of Christ. When we worship God and humble ourselves before Him, sing and magnify His name in songs, offer up cheerfully our tithes and offerings, pray to God in Christ’s name through the Holy Spirit, we glorify the Triune God. When we give our lives to serve Him and one another and love one another, we glorify God. “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:34-35)

When the community of believers rally around a brother in need, the world sees the community of Christians in action. In sickness, bereavement and at weddings, when we weep with them that weep and rejoice with them that rejoice, such outpouring of the love of brethren is a testimony to the non-believers and greatly magnifies the Lord. How oft is God’s Name glorified in a funeral or a wedding service when God’s people show their love to one another in practical ways.

A divine motto for every Christian is found in Romans 11:36, “For of him, and through him, and to him, [are] all things: to whom [be] glory for ever. Amen.” We begin by recognising the comprehensive and wise providence of God (“of Him”) that covers every aspect of our lives, “accidental” or otherwise. They are all from His good and perfect hand. Let us then acknowledge His enabling (“through Him”) to glorify Him. We have no strength of our own, but we need to pray (as we are taught in this petition in the Lord’s Prayer) for such grace, that having done all, we may not be lifted up in pride, but may render “to him” all the glory for “all things” and “for ever”, and so let it be (“Amen”).