e-votional
a message to encourage and uplift from College Heights Baptist Church
Wednesday February 11, 2009
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“Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name. – Matthew 6:9, NASB
I know it sounds crazy, but one of the hardest things about having kids is coming up with a name. When my wife and I were expecting our first child, we really struggled to come up with both a boy’s name and a girl’s name. I didn’t want anything that could end in a “y.” So, that meant no Roberts, Josephs, or Timothys (you know, Bobby, Joey, Timmy, etc). I also didn’t want anything that would sound funny with our last name (Deer). So, obviously John was out. I wasn’t going to subject my kid to a lifetime of tractor jokes. We really had a tough time. When we finally settled on a name for both genders, we were set. Our first child was a boy. Our second was a girl. It all worked out. We were out of kids and out of names. Until, we found out we were expecting a third child. Then, it was back to the drawing board.
Names are important. They always have been. In the days of Jesus, the names people gave their children had special significance. As a matter of fact, Jesus’ name means “The Lord saves.” Pretty significant, don’t you think? As Jesus teaches us to pray, He encourages us to begin by recognizing the intimacy and power of our God (Our Father who is in heaven). He then reminds us of the special nature of who God is by stating, “Hallowed by Your name.”
The word “hallow” means to set something apart and treat it as holy. Listen to the way some contemporary Bibles translate this phrase. The New Living Translation says, “May your name be kept holy.” The New Century Version goes a step further and says, “May your name always be kept holy.” The Contemporary English Version translates it, “help us to honor your name.”
When we honor God’s name, we honor Him. It’s more than just being careful with our language. It means to respect all that God is with how we live. It is the same idea set forth in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:7). God is special. His name is special. His name represents His character and all that He is. When we look into the Scripture, we see a variety of names for God. Let’s look at just a few of them:
El-Shaddai – “Almighty God” (Genesis 17:1-2) – The God who can do anything!
El-Elyon “The Most High God” (Numbers 24:16) – The God above everything else.
El-Berith “God of the Covenant” (Judges 9:46) – The God who keeps His promises.
El-Roi “God who Sees me” (Genesis 16:13) – The God who sees the needs of His people.
Jehovah (Jehovah is English for Yahweh)-Jireh – “The Lord will Provide” (Genesis 22:14) – The God who meets the needs of His people.
Jehovah-Nissi – “The Lord is my Banner” (Exodus 17:15) – The God of victory.
Jehovah-Mekaddesh – “The Lord Sanctifies” (Exodus 31:13) – The Holy God who sets us apart.
Jehovah-Tsidkenu – “The Lord is our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 23:6, 33:16) – The God who is perfectly righteous and promises to save His people.
Jehovah-Rohi – “The Lord is my Shepherd” (Psalms 23:1) – The God who cares for His sheep.
Jehovah-Rophe – “The Lord heals” (Exodus 15:26) – The God who heals His people.
God’s name represents all that He is. We need to live in a way that honors His name. We need to recognize the specialness of who God is. He is perfectly holy. He is a righteous loving God. He heals, He provides, He gives us victory. He keeps His promise. He redeems and sets us free. His name is all of that and more. We need to remember who He is and live in light of that.
Pastor Darrell
