Prayer starts with who God is, not with what we want.
“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.”Matthew 6:9-10 (KJV)
What does “Hallowed” mean in Matthew 6:9-10?
Hallowed means treated as holy, set apart as special. Jesus teaches us to begin by honoring God's name and asking for His kingdom to come.
Going deeper
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He gave them a pattern rather than a formula. It begins with a relationship, our Father, and with worship, hallowed be thy name. Only then does it move to requests, and the first requests are not for us. They are that God's kingdom would come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. That order matters. It puts our needs in the right frame.
Many of our prayers start and end with our own concerns. This pattern invites us to lift our eyes first. Try praying it slowly today, one phrase at a time, and add your own words after each. When you say thy will be done, name a situation in which you are asking God to have His way. You may find that your worry loosens as you place it inside something larger than yourself.
Reflect
Which situation could you place under the words thy will be done today?
Pray
Our Father, hallowed be Your name. Let Your kingdom come and Your will be done in my life and in this world. In Jesus' name, amen.
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