2004-05-15 - The Lord's Prayer

Encore 2001-01-27

Matthew 6:9-13 After this manner, therefore, pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.

I try to avoid it. I can't. And I can't train everyone I know to watch what they say! I try. I cringe inside. And yet, it's all around.

"Gaaaaaaawd" "Jaysus!" Etc.... People all over the world use His name as a cuss word. Or just a thing to say. Even people who call themselves Christians say His name for no reason.

Hallowed = Precious = Cherished = Set Apart.

Precious be Thy name.

Cherished be Thy name.

God declared that He would not hold guiltless the person who says His name in vain (Exodus 20:7) People will say, "Well, I didn't say 'Damn' after it!" As if somehow that changes it.

Vain = Empty = For No Purpose.

Why don't we say, "Buddha!" or "Krishna!"? Because they aren't precious names! The enemy doesn't care if these names are bandied about, because they are just words! They are already vain names! There is no need to cheapen them.

In Psalm 139:20 it says, "...thine enemies take thy name in vain." His enemies! The people who love Him need to hold His name precious, hallowed. Name above all names.

When they were translating the Bible, the translators washed themselves each time before they wrote the name of God. That may be going a little overboard; however, they were showing on the outside the deep respect they had on the inside for the name of God. The Hebrew people wouldn't say or write His name. The exact way to say it is lost, due to the fearand reverence that they had for Jehovah God. Where is your reverence placed? Is His name a name that easily comes to your lips as a word? Or is it precious? Hallowed. Cherished. God.

Father, forgive us for taking Your name lightly. A dozen times a day, people pop Your name onto their lips. A dozen times a day, it is emptiness that follows. They aren't talking to You or about You, just holding lightly Your precious name. You, who are waiting to be called upon. You, who are ready to help at the mention of Your name, must sigh when it's another "false alarm." God, turn Your people from the insidious spouting. Let us, the ones who should know better, hold You dear enough in our hearts to treasure Your name. In the name of Your Son, who lived, died and lives again -- in that precious name of Jesus I pray. Amen

Sandi

This devotional is one in an occasional series by Sandi, about The Lord's Prayer. If you wish to read the previous devotionals, you will find them at this address: http://www.cfdevotionals.org/links/authsand.htm