Hallowed by your name

Many names

"Therefore God raised him to the highest place and gave him 

the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, 

every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth

 and every tongue confess,

 that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father"

Philippians 2.9-11

Yesterday, I spoke in the sermon about how someone's name in the Bible is much more significant than it is in our culture in England. It speaks of the person - who they are, what their significance is. To speak of someone's name is to be speaking of the whole person. Perhaps the closest we get to this in our culture is the prominence of brand names.

The Bible is even stronger on saying that God's name speaks powerfully of who he is. So powerfully in fact that to speak of God's name is to speak of God; to honour or hallow his name is to honour or hallow him. Perhaps unsurprisingly then, one name isn't enough to capture everything about God. So here are some more to help in our prayer:

Yahweh - I AM     

This is the most important name and was the one which God revealed as his personal name to Moses. It simply means "I AM" and so tells us that God is completely different from us. He is the one who is unchanging - who isn't controlled by anything else. That also means that he is faithful - no one and nothing can stop him. Most of all, it tells us that he keeps his promise of salvation to his people, come what may.

Yahweh Jireh - The Lord Provides

This name speaks of how everything comes from him and that is why we hallow his name - give thanks to him for everything we have. It is also why we come to him for our daily bread. There is though a very particular meaning of this name. Yahweh Jireh appears once in the Bible (Genesis 22.14) and it is when God provides a lamb as a sacrifice in the place of Isaac. So above all else Jireh reminds us that he provided a sacrifice to take our place (his own Son - Jesus

Yahweh Shalom - The Lord is Peace

This is from the story of Gideon and reminds us that God rescues his people from those who would rob them of peace and brings them to a place where they know peace. It reminds that 'Hallowed by your name' includes praying that his people will be rescued from persecution and trouble.

There are many other names, but what is most striking is that they all come to a head in Jesus - he fulfils every one. So 'Hallowed by your name' is also a prayer that Jesus will receive the honour he deserves. It is a prayer that what is prophesied in Philippians 2 will be seen more and more now.