Our Father

A Word of Truth #186  

The Lord’s Prayer begins with the words, “our Father.” What an amazing address!

It is a miracle of God’s grace that we could even dream of going to the almighty God and addressing Him as “Father.” Our sin separates us from the holy God. If not for the forgiveness which Jesus won for us on the cross, we would be cast out from the presence of God forever. But, as Paul writes, “You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26). Believers in Jesus receive forgiveness of sins. With sins forgiven, God sees us as holy and His beloved children.

Every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we can stand in awe of the Father’s grace and Jesus’ redemptive work that makes us children of God. “Behold! What manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called children of God!” “Let us therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:16).

—WCE

Hallowed be Thy Name

A Word of Truth #187  

For what do we ask when we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Hallowed by Thy name”? God’s name is certainly holy all by itself. Nothing we can say or do will ever change that. However, we ask God through this petition to send His Holy Spirit into our hearts and lives, so that we might hallow God’s name by everything we say and do. We ask God to bless us with a proper understanding of His Word together with the ability to teach His Word in its truth and purity. We ask God to help us live our lives in true holiness according to His Word. Jesus once said to His believing followers, “You are the light of the world…. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14,16). When the Spirit leads us to let our lights shine, God enables us to hallow His name.