Hallowed Be Your Name

The first petition in our Lord’s model prayer in Matthew 6 is found at the end of verse 9, “Hallowed be Your name.” This is the first petition of the prayer and automatically rivets our minds and hearts to God in our prayers — we don’t begin by bombarding Him with requests and to-do lists, but there’s a time to revere Him and hallow His name. There will be a time for requests, intercession, and petitions on behalf of ourselves and others, but at the beginning, we simply are to revere Him as our preeminent priority. This one statement encompasses all of God’s nature and person and our response to His nature and person.