GodSprings - 12, May, 2017

Am I Fulfilling His Purpose?

Hallowed be Thy Name.

Matthew 6:9c

Life is always confusing. For those who know me closely what I have gone through these couple of weeks was least expected. The natural doubts start pouring in. Does God have a plan? Does God have a purpose? We prayed as a family and I prayed a lot individually. Few questions still lingered on. Questions for which I still don’t have an answer. But praying to the Lord made me to start writing these meditations again from the point where I left and I think I have got the answer.  

The Lord’s prayer begins with a recognition that God is the source. Going from God as fatherly source we come immediately to the phrase “Hallowed be thy name.” There is a possibility of us getting a little carried away with calling God as Abba or Father. So, to guard against abusing or overusing or misunderstanding the intimacy, our Lord says, “Hallowed be thy name.” This is a perfect balance. After we have acknowledged that God is compassionate and loves us, we need to remember – Hallowed be His name.

Hallowed be Your name is also the first request. It’s on God’s behalf. Self is immediately removed and God is the priority. When we cherish the desire for God to be glorified and God to be honoured, only then, will we ask for things which God intends and desires for us. It is a warning against self-seeking.

To hallow means to treat it as sacred and ultimate. It means to make it your most crucial thing. To make it the supreme aim of your life. Jesus says this comes first because not only should all prayers be about this but Jesus says I want to show you that life should be about this. To praise God and to adore him no matter what your circumstances are.

Jesus illustrates this beautifully in John 12:27 – “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? Father save me from this hour.” That would be the normal response that you or I would give. That would be what would rise up in our tortured and troubled soul. When we look at the verse it doesn’t end there. It continues and says, “But for this purpose I have come to this hour, Father glorify your name.”

Feeling the weight of what’s going to happen, the rejection of the Jewish people, the hatred and hostility, the physical trauma Jesus could have asked for a way out. But Jesus had only one desire and that was to hallow his name.

Hallowing His name means I have set the Lord always before me. Before we talk about our bread, our life, our desire should be to display His glory.

Personally speaking, my prayer was save me from this hour. But Jesus has enlightened me and asked me to stop praying in that manner and pray – for Your purpose I have come to this hour. Father glorify Your name. When we pray like this we are aligning ourselves with Lord and His plans.

Let us pray – I don’t want You to give me what I want. I only want You to give me what You know is best for me. I don’t want to have anything that elevates me. I want to have what glorifies You and humbles me.