What more can we say of our God? Can we say that He is the Way? Certainly, for He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is the source of our life, the sustainer of life; He is life itself. He is the light of the world, the bread of life. He is the good shepherd, the great shepherd, the chief shepherd. He is the Lord of hosts: He is the King of kings.
Do you know God as your Redeemer? Do you know Him as the One who came in Jesus Christ to die for you, to lift you out of slavery to your sins, and to draw you back to Himself in love? You can never honor God properly until you honor Him in this great aspect of His character. For it is only in Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, that we see the fullness of God's love.
Let me put this in terms of a question. Do you hallow the name of God? For instance, do you honor Him in His name of Elohim? This is the name that acknowledges God as Creator. It is the third word in the Bible, the name that heads the account of creation. We are told in the passage that "God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth." He was responsible for the sun, moon, stars, and planets. He created the trees and the mountains, the flowers of the field and the plains. He formed all living things. He formed man of the dust of the earth and breathed into him the divine breath of life. Do you honor Him as the one and only Creator?
The first of the six petitions in this prayer establishes the proper order, for it is a prayer for God's honor. It is, “Hallowed be thy name.” The word "hallowed" is a word that has lost much of its meaning today simply because it has dropped out of common speech. But it is related etymologically to other words we do know. The Greek word translated here as “hallowed’' is the word from which we also get our English word "holy,” and it is the word that is translated in other places as "saint" or “sanctify." Usually it refers to setting something apart for God's use. Objects that were used in the temple were holy or sanctified because they were set apart for God's use in the temple worship. Christians are called holy for the same reason.
The opening words of the Lord's Prayer teach us who those are who can pray and what the privileges of access are for them. We say, "Our Father, who art in heaven," implying that God may be approached as a father by those (and only those) who have been reborn into His spiritual family. It is entirely possible, however, that a person might be a member of God's family and know this, and yet know very little about praying. Consequently, six petitions follow, the purpose of each being to instruct us in general terms what we are to pray for and how we are to do it.
